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Attendance: 36,514
Leeds logo
Championship | Gameweek 37
Mar 7, 2020 at 3pm UK
 
Huddersfield logo

2-0

Ayling (3'), Bamford (51')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Luke Ayling, Patrick Bamford fire Leeds back to top of Championship

United are one point clear at the top.

Leeds returned to the top of the Championship with a rousing 2-0 victory over Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield.

Right-back Luke Ayling set United on their way at Elland Road with a sumptuous volley after just 160 seconds before Patrick Bamford tapped home his 13th goal of the season six minutes after the restart.

The victory means Leeds have now won five consecutive league games without conceding for the first time since December 2009, lifting them seven points clear of third-placed Fulham.

Head coach Marcelo Bielsa could not have wished for a more perfect start from his side, with Ayling volleying home off the underside of the crossbar from 10 yards from the outstanding Jack Harrison's cross.

It was in-form Ayling's sixth goal for the club, with the first three of those spread over 139 appearances, and with the last three coming in his previous five games.

Leeds, though, failed to build on such a solid platform, instead being forced deep on occasion by a Huddersfield side buoyed by last weekend's 4-0 home victory over Charlton.

The Terriers, though, managed just one effort on target in the opening half, with Trevoh Chalobah firing a 12-yard drive against the legs of Illan Meslier after playing a one-two with Fraizer Campbell.

United at least finished the half in the ascendancy, twice coming close to doubling their lead.

Harrison first rifled an angled first-time shot inches wide of the left-hand post in meeting an Ayling cross before a Ben White header to a Harrison free-kick from deep on the left shaved the same piece of woodwork.

It provided the platform for a rampant Leeds assault at the start of the second half, with Jonas Lossl denying Harrison and Bamford in the opening three minutes of the second period, but with the Terriers goalkeeper unable to do anything about United's second goal in the 51st minute.

From captain Christopher Schindler's lunging challenge on Bamford that resulted in the fifth booking of six of what was far from a dirty game, Lossl brilliantly tipped away White's goal-bound header, only for Bamford to end a seven-match drought by poaching the rebound from two yards.

It was almost 3-0 in the 58th minute, with Harrison producing a stunning mazy run that culminated in a left-foot curler that had Lossl beaten, only to strike his right-hand post.

In front of United's biggest home crowd of the season of 36,514, Bielsa's side comfortably saw out the closing exchanges to clinch another vital win in their quest to return to the Premier League and leave Town three points above the relegation zone.

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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sunderland1594225111431
2Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1510321971231
3Leeds UnitedLeeds158522491529
4Burnley157621861227
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom15672169725
6Watford158162322125
7Middlesbrough157352317624
8Millwall156541813523
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City155732019122
11Swansea CitySwansea155461110119
12Derby CountyDerby155461919019
13Stoke CityStoke155461819-119
14Norwich CityNorwich154652322118
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds155371725-818
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd154561718-117
17Coventry CityCoventry154472021-116
18Plymouth ArgylePlymouth154471526-1116
19Hull City153661620-415
20Preston North EndPreston153661523-815
21Luton TownLuton154381726-915
22Cardiff CityCardiff154381423-915
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR151771225-1310


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