Roberts fires Leeds United back to top spot

Tyler Roberts shot Leeds United back to the top of the Sky Bet Championship when he scored the only goal of their game at Hull City.
Tyler Roberts celebrates his winning goal against Hull City with teammates. Picture: Bruce RollinsonTyler Roberts celebrates his winning goal against Hull City with teammates. Picture: Bruce Rollinson
Tyler Roberts celebrates his winning goal against Hull City with teammates. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

The teenage forward found the back of the net with a fine strike from outside the box and although the Whites did not add to it they completely dominated their away game.

Leeds, fielding an unchanged side once again, played like the home team in the first half as they were often camped in the Hull half with the hosts happy to rely on sporadic breaks.

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But they struggled to turn all the possession into chances and the game remained goalless to the interval.

Mateusz Klich had a sight of goal in the sixth minute after a smart move by the Whites, but he could not add to his four goals this season as his shot from the edge of the box flashed just wide.

Hull briefly threatened as they won a corner and Liam Cooper had to come up with a brave block to deny Reece Burke a clear opportunity.

Little happened for almost the next half-hour as the game went as flat as the atmosphere inside the KCOM Stadium, but United remained largely in control without finding a cutting edge.

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They did create a great opportunity on 35 minutes, though, when a superb passing move sent Ezgjan Alioski through, but his angled shot went just the wrong side of the post.

A minute later Luke Ayling headed over from close range after a corner had been headed down and just before half-time Samuel Saiz and Alioski combined well down the right only for the latter’s low cross to be put wide by Barry Douglas.

In added time, Saiz did well to work space only to send his shot wide from 20 yards out.

Leeds’ improved work continued into the start of the second half as Ayling’s lob from a tight angle landed on top of the net and they took the lead on 51 minutes.

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There seemed nothing much on when Roberts got the ball 25 yards out, but he made space for himself and fired a stunning shot into the bottom corner of the net for his third goal in Leeds colours.

Kalvin Phillips sent a header over three minutes later and with the Whites still on top he saw a shot blocked by Tommy Elphick with appeals for handball falling on deaf ears.

In a rare Hull attack Elphick sent a header off target, but the action was soon back at the other end with Liam Cooper heading wide from a free-kick put into the area.

United took their foot off the gas a bit in the closing stages, but the expected onslaught from a desperate Hull side never materialised.

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The closest they came to an equaliser was a scramble from a free-kick that was not cleared, but there were several miskicks and Leeds survived to earn an important three points after they had only won one of their previous five league games.

Match facts

(Roberts 51)

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Sky Bet Championship

Attendance: 13,798

Hull: Marshall, Burke, Elphick, Kingsley, Lichaj, Henriksen, Bowen, Irvine (Stewart 28), Kane, Grosicki (Campbell 64), Martin (Dicko 64)

Leeds: Peacock-Farrell, Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Douglas (Shackleton 82), Phillips, Harrison (Dallas 73), Klich, Saiz (Forshaw 73), Alioski, Roberts.

Referee: Darren Bond.