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Leeds give Allardyce reason for hope despite defeat to Man City

Three minutes before half-time, Leeds United got a free-kick midway in Manchester City’s half.

Given the way the preceding half hour had played out, that was cause enough for celebration.

Several defenders went forward and Patrick Bamford pointed to where he would like the ball delivered. The subsequent free-kick was, at a conservative estimate, overhit by 20 yards and went out for a goal kick. Cue the jeers of 85 per cent of the Etihad.

For almost 90 minutes, that was the flow of the match in a nutshell. Before Sam Allardyce, Leeds were either too chaotic with the ball or too slow. Judging any team under any manager on their first game or against City is unfair, but on Saturday afternoon the immediate solution seemed to be not having the ball at all. Bamford spent most of his game 20 yards away from every teammate; he had his own postcode.

It threatened to render the contest nothing of the sort. Leeds sacrificed possession and territory. In the first half, Ilkay Gundogan had completed 45 more passes than Leeds’ entire team. Illan Meslier was dropped for Joel Robles seemingly because Robles could kick the ball a long way. In the first 15 minutes, Leeds’ goalkeeper seemed to be wasting time extravagantly but then he continued to do exactly the same when his team were chasing the game. Was this a team trying to kill time just to protect their goal difference?

There is nothing wrong with sitting deep to try and repel City, but it is not as simple as just falling closer and closer towards your own goal. Both of the first-half goals were identical: ten Leeds players behind the ball in their own area, nominally protecting their goal and yet falling into an obvious mistake. If City are world leaders in one thing, it is getting midfielders on the edge of the opposition box. What is the point in crowding your own penalty area if it leaves those midfielders with time and space.

Was there more organisation than under the doomed Javi Gracia experiment? Maybe. But a) it was at the expense of any attacking intent or cohesion, and b) Leeds were highly fortunate to catch most of City’s attackers on an off day. Julian Alvarez frequently lost possession and leant back when shooting from 15 yards. Erling Haaland produced his worst shooting performance of the season: one hit post, one missed kick, one one-on-one chance hit straight at Robles, one header off the bar (although that one would have been offside).

With two-thirds of the game remaining and seemingly nothing left to watch that interested or entertained them, what was there left for Leeds supporters to do? Sing, sing and sing again. The only time their noise was silenced was when substitute Pascal Struijk tripped Phil Foden in the penalty area. Allardyce turned round in his technical area and threw a wad of chewing gum to the floor. Gundogan missed the resulting penalty.

And that did threaten to inexplicably shift the course of the match, the title race and the relegation battle off its axis. Rodrigo, finally on to join – and then eventually replace – the ineffective Bamford up front, offered unlikely and unwarranted salvation with a tidy finish that followed scruffy defending and the away end roared in surprise and joy.

It did not last. Typical City are no more and Leeds had no more shots in the minutes that followed. Guardiola’s team passed the ball relentlessly and Leeds paid for their own panic and haste when they got it back. The leaders roll on and Leeds look to more favourable fixtures.

But in those moments when they escaped further punishment and, finally, created their own danger, renewed belief sprung out from the ground like a green shoot in early March. They crossed the Pennines not in search of victory or draw, not really. They travelled because they wanted to tell their heroes that they hadn’t given up and nor should they. They know that their collision with Allardyce, Karl Robinson and Robbie Keane is a bizarre short-term stand of convenience, but also that it is their shot to nothing and everything all at once. There is still life here. Now onto Newcastle and West Ham, with something that feels a lot like hope in their hearts.

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