Frustration for City as 10-man Leeds hold out for a draw

Pictures courtesy of Hull City

Hull City 0 - 0 Leeds

Sky Bet Championship

MKM Stadium

Attendance: 24,221

By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City Correspondent

The Tigers had to settle for a point against 10-man Leeds in an entertaining – but goalless – clash in front of a sold-out MKM Stadium.

As with last Friday night, the pre-match fire-and-light show again promised “The Greatest Show”, and on paper, you’d think 0-0 was anything but – yet this was a lively encounter peppered with cards as well as heart-in-mouth moments at either end.

Much of the pre-match chat (in the press room, at any rate) centred on biscuits, journalists having been gifted whole packets from McVities, which this week agreed a major new sponsorship deal with Hull City.

But any hopes among City fans that Leeds’ wafer-thin defence would crumble in this, er, crunch match under the floodlights ultimately went unfulfilled. (That’s enough biscuit puns – Ed.)

City started brightly, the visitors having to defend a corner just over a minute in. Shortly afterwards, Ryan Allsop – making his home debut in place of Matt Ingram – played a long ball up to Aaron Connolly racing down the middle (did he not get the “playing out from the back” memo?), forcing Joe Rodon to go down under pressure in his own area.

In the fourth minute, a cross by Luke Ayling went high and wide, before Daniel James shot wide from about 12 yards out on the right – it was a powerful hit that, given he’d had a bit of time and space, he should perhaps have done better with.

As a blow-up doll bounced around the North Stand, the Tigers won another corner, before a good passage of play from City was halted by an injury to Willy Gnonto, who remained down for some time.

In the 14th minute, City boss Liam Rosenior saw a yellow card for the second time in as many matches – this time for kicking the ball behind him as it went over the touchline, which rather took the sting out of the Leeds attack. And, just like last Friday night, the “his nanna’s from Hull” chant swelled from a supportive North Stand.

Gnonto fell to the ground again in the 19th minute, prompting another hold-up before he left the field to be replaced by Crysencio Summerville.

Jaden Philogene, again causing Leeds not a little hassle down the left, tried to outwit his marker again in the 22nd minute, balletically diving into the area under challenge, but the referee was having none of it.

A few minutes later, the visitors really should have been ahead after Georginio Rutter was clean through on goal with just Allsop to beat, but the Tigers keeper came out well and blocked the shot.

Summerville then stung the fingers of Allsop in the 27th minute as Leeds began to get a grip on the game.

City were by no means over-awed, but as half wore on, they were having to withstand wave after wave of attacks, and a brilliant save by Allsop to deny Summerville in the 41st minute kept them in it. A few minutes later, Archie Gray shot just wide of the right post.

Leeds kept up the pressure from the moment the second half kicked off, with two quick-fire close-range shots, from Summerville and James, hastily cleared.

A 20-yard shot from James was easily held by Allsop in the 50th minute, and a couple of minutes later at the other end, Philogene shot well over from a good central position about 25 yards out.

City hit Leeds on the break in the 55th minute, and the lively Liam Delap was nudged over in the area – no penalty, said the referee.

As the hour approached, a shot from Ayling fizzed a fair way over the bar; he had taken it on himself when he had men in the box, drawing jeers from the North Stand.

Then, just after the hour mark, Rodon saw red for a second bookable offence, forcing Daniel Farke to make a tactical switch and bring on a couple of subs, including Hull-born ex-Tiger Liam Cooper – whose appearance drew a round of loud boos from the home fans.

In the 66th minute, Delap did well to leave Cooper for dead and fired a cross across goal, which only just missed Connolly lurking near the goal-line.

Despite being down to 10, Leeds didn’t shut up shop – they were still threatening, and after City were unable to clear their line, the unmarked Ethan Ampadu took a shot on from 25 yards, but put it well wide.

Rosenior at last switched things up in the 72nd minute, bringing on Tyler Morton and Ozan Tufan for Twine and Delap, moments before Rutter skewed a shot just wide of the left-hand post.

Some 10 minutes before time, City played keep-ball for a bit, perhaps playing almost a little too cautiously given the time remaining and their one-man advantage, before Adama Traoré and Jason Lokilo replaced Regan Slater and Cyrus Christie.

The visitors won a corner but had to wait a while to take it as play was stopped for a rather bloody head injury to Lewie Coyle, who was treated on the pitch for several minutes before eventually being replaced by Sean McLoughlin.

“Come on you ‘Ull…” the crowd implored the Tigers as the minutes ticked down.

A late goal would have lifted the roof off the place – and what might have been will no doubt be haunting Traoré’s dreams for some time.

The Tigers went on the break again, as Tufan played in Connolly, who squared it to Traore. With the goal gaping in front of him… all he could do was smash it against the post from about 10 yards. It was a complete sitter that would probably have made the cut for one of those “My Gran Could Have Scored That” DVDs, had they existed nowadays.

As six minutes of injury time was announced, Philogene squirmed past his marker again and played in Tufan, but under challenge from a handful of defenders it cannoned off him for a goal kick.

And in the 92nd minute, a looping effort from Philogene forced a corner which was well punched out by Ivan Meslier – but that was about that. Another fair result, and given Leeds’ first-half dominance, a point gained rather than two dropped.

The Tigers may have dropped back to sixth tonight – but they’re still hob-nobbing among the cream of the Championship… (I said no more biscuit puns! – Ed.)