The Whites recovered second place in the Championship with another victory over Plymouth Argyle.
Leeds United’s promotion push continued with another impressive performance at Plymouth Argyle. Goals from Willy Gnonto and Georginio Rutter helped Daniel Farke’s side to a straightforward victory.
However, the Whites’ current run is everything but normal, with Leeds recovering second place following Southampton’s Friday night victory against West Bromwich Albion. It sets up a Friday night battle at Elland Road with league leaders Leicester City, with Leeds even eyeing a crack at the top.
It capped a successful week for Leeds, who had won twice on the road at Swansea and now Plymouth – here’s how some of the national media reported the victory.
‘Great resilience’ – BBC
Leeds United recaptured second place with a merciless victory over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park, praised for their resilience by the BBC. Gnonto’s beautiful first touch and precise finish rewarded early dominance, and Leeds could have gone 2-0 up by halftime, but Georginio Rutter’s deflected volley rebounded off the post.
“Argyle improved drastically after a one-sided opening 30 minutes, playing with far more tempo and aggression, but they rarely came close to equalising. Unrelenting second-half pressure resulted in numerous promising moments, including Ben Waine’s narrow miss on Mikel Miller’s tempting cross. However, Leeds defended with tremendous resilience in the dreadful conditions, keeping the hosts at arm’s length.
‘Emphatic promotion warning’ – Mail
“Leeds fired out an emphatic promotion warning, racking up an eighth straight victory to move back into the automatic promotion spots.” Wilfried Gnonto scored his fourth league goal in as many games before Georginio Rutter sealed it, extending Leeds’ unbeaten streak against Plymouth to ten games.
“More importantly, a ninth away win of the season saw them replace Southampton second place after they inflicted a first home league defeat on the plucky Pilgrims since October.”
“Flying start” – Sky Sports
“Daniel Farke’s team got off to a flying start, and their early pressure was rewarded with a 10th-minute goal from in-form Gnonto, who now has five goals in as many games. Rutter’s bold long pass into the box divided the home defence, and Gnonto superbly brought the ball down and sent it past goalie Conor Hazard.”
Number of positives – Plymouth Live.
Plymouth Argyle were trounced 2-0 by promotion-chasing Leeds United at Home Park on Saturday lunchtime in the Championship. Leeds made it eight wins in a row and restored to second place in the rankings after Southampton defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-0 in the West Midlands on Friday night.
“Argyle suffered their first defeat in ten home Championship games since losing 3-1 to Swansea City in early October, but there were a few positives for manager Ian Foster.” They included left winger Mickel Miller and 18-year-old Tottenham Hotspur defender Ashley Phillips, who both played well.
“Leeds took the lead in the tenth minute when Willy Gnonto handled the ball as it dropped to him inside the area and scored with a low effort that hit the inside of the post. Argyle were much more on top in the second half, with striker Ben Waine almost converting an enticing cross from Miller before Georginio Rutter made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute.”
