Leeds United 4 Hull City 1: Leeds make light of poor opening to frustrate Hull

CRISIS? What crisis?

After a turbulent opening week that had brought fan protests to Elland Road and a pair of demoralising defeats, Leeds United belatedly showed their mettle last night to claim a morale-boosting first win of the season.

On an eventful evening for Tom Lees that saw the young defender score at both ends, Simon Grayson’s men made light work of a Hull City side who had lost just once in 19 league games on the road.

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It was a run the Tigers rarely looked like extending during a in which Leeds ripped apart the below-par visitors almost at will.

Along with Lees’s first senior strike for the club, the goalscoring heroes for United were Robert Snodgrass, Ramon Nunez and Ross McCormack.

In truth, though, the entire team deserves credit for a performance packed full of purpose and power as debutant Andy Keogh slotted in seamlessly following his arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers just 24 hours earlier.

Ahead of kick-off, Hull had been hoping to capitalise on United’s troubles to claim a first win at Elland Road in 24 years.

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An indication of how long ago that 2-0 win had been was that six of the Tigers’ starting line-up last night had not even been born when Garry Parker and Alex Dyer scored those all-important goals in September 1987.

In truth, Hull rarely looked like achieving that first win in almost half a century even after manager Nigel Pearson sent Aaron Mclean on at the start of the second half and switched to a two-man attack.

That owed everything to the manner of the home side’s display with the tone being set from the opening exchanges.

Employing a 4-4-2 formation for the first time this season, United made a mockery of those predicting a long season of struggle just because the opening two league games had been lost for the first time since 1980-81.

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Keogh’s physical presence played a big part in that dominance with his ability to hold the ball up meaning United’s midfield were able to pour forward in a fashion that had just not been possible when the 5ft 7ins McCormack had been forced to plough a lone furrow up front.

Nunez, in particular, benefited from this freedom with the Honduran international firing an early shot wide before playing McCormack through with a beautifully judged pass.

Hull were able to avert that danger courtesy of James Chester but the visitors could do little about the thunderous 15th-minute shot from Nunez that flew over Peter Gulacsi and against the underside of the crossbar.

McCormack, once a £3m target for Hull during the summer of 2009, then headed the rebound over.

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The Scotland international also seemed to have been left similarly frustrated just two minutes later when his powerful header from Snodgrass’s cross was blocked by Gulacsi.

That was, however, until the ball looped up off the Hungarian goalkeeper and back to McCormack, who nodded into an empty net.

After the travails of last Saturday when anti-Ken Bates protests and a shocking refereeing performance had combined to condemn United to an afternoon to forget, it was the perfect start.

A setback came on 21 minutes, however, when Lees, under pressure from Joe Dudgeon, could only fire into his own net when attempting to clear Robert Koren’s cross.

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For a time, Leeds then lost their way and Hull went close to going in front when James Chester headed wide after another impressive delivery from Koren.

Hull’s purple patch failed to last, though, and United regained the initiative and then the lead courtesy of a fine finish from Lees after Gulacsi had flapped at Nunez’s cross.

With Hull not having come from behind to win a game in almost two years, a fightback seemed unlikely as the players left the field at half-time. And so it proved with Leeds extending their lead just 70 seconds after the restart courtesy of a Snodgrass ‘special’.

After Jack Hobbs had been penalised for a foul on McCormack, the Scot stepped forward to curl an exquisite free-kick over the wall and beyond Gulacsi’s despairing dive to evoke memories of a near identical finish against Hull at the KC Stadium last February.

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Hull did twice go close to regaining a toehold in the game as, first, Mclean brought a stunning one-handed save from Andy Lonergan. Five minutes later, the Leeds goalkeeper also had to be at his best to block a low drive from Matty Fryatt.

Those two chances apart, however, the home side looked comfortable and they added a fourth goal 21 minutes from time. Again, an incisive attacking move proved Hull’s undoing as James Chester and Liam Rosenior were left trying to keep four attackers at bay.

With such a numerical disadvantage, it was no surprise that Leeds should take advantage as McCormack rolled the ball into the path of Nunez who finished with aplomb.

Leeds United: Lonergan; Lees, Kisnorbo, O’Dea, White; Snodgrass, Brown, Clayton, Nunez (Sam 78); Keogh, McCormack (Thompson 88). Unused substitutes: Rachubka, Connolly, Bruce, Thompson.

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Hull City: Gulacsi; Chester, Hobbs, Dawson (Mclean 46); Brady (Adebola 63), Koren (Barmby 67), Evans, McKenna, Dudgeon; Fryatt. Unused substitutes: Basso, Bradley.

Referee: E Ilderton (Tyne & Wear).