How Pascal Struijk ensured Leeds United live to fight another day in Premier League survival battle

The Leeds United supporters did not, but they were staying to vent their frustrations as Premier League relegation loomed.

A chant of “Marcelo Bielsa” quickly turned to one of “Sack the board”, then another less polite instruction to those squirming in the padded director’s seats.

Completely out-thought in the opening half-hour, the Leeds fans had seen plenty of spirit from their players since but it only highlighted that they were just not quite good enough for the top division.

It had taken a brilliant Robert Sanchez save in either half to preserve the 1-0 lead Danny Welbeck gave Brighton and Hove Albion, but a lack of ruthlessness characteristic of both teams was a big factor too.

As the natives grew restless, Welbeck headed a straight-forward chance wide from Leandro Trossard’s right-wing cross. It was classic Brighton after the striker put away a far more difficult first-half chance but it seemed academic.

Soon Pascal Struijk was seeing stars after heading Joel Veltman’s skull when the ball would have been infinitely preferable.

Leeds are nothing if not persistent, though, scoring seven stoppage-time goals this season, including three winners and three equalisers.

Struijk played on and when Diego Llorente sprayed the ball to Joe Gelhardt in the second added minute and the 20-year-old wriggled into space at the byline, he arrived at the far post to head the cross in from almost in the net.

“All Leeds aren’t we!” sang the crowd, too jubilant to exclude the (not enough) money men.

Really, Leeds could have done with more than a point from their final home game this season, knowing they will be sat at home helpless when Burnley and Everton play on Thursday. But when you are 1-0 down as the fourth official shows how many minutes will be added you are hardly going to grumble at a point which guaranteed that whatever happens in midweek, Leeds will have something to play for on the final day.

They are out of the relegation zone after Burnley lost at Tottenham Hotspur immediately beforehand and Everton picked up two season-ending red cards being beaten by Brentford after. Everton have 36 points, Leeds 35, Burnley 34.

Coach Jesse Marsch sensed even his players had lost hope after 45 minutes.

“I could still see (in) their faces that they weren’t 100 per cent believing,” he said.

Right to the end, someone did, though.

“I want the players when they look at me on the bench to show that I believe we’ll do this,” said Marsch. “When they came for water, it’s positivity, I’ll say, ‘Keep going, it’ll come, keep pushing.’”

The initial doubts came because Graham Potter was again doing a number on Leeds.

Marsch surprisingly selected a Bielsaesque 4-1-4-1 but Potter, who played for York City and worked at universities in Hull and Leeds in his early coaching days, has always been good at combatting Bielsaball.

Kalvin Phillips was isolated as Pascal Gross, Alexis Mac Allister and left wing-back Trossard roamed between the lines.

The space Gross was in when Marc Cucurella took a throw-in was like a February flashback, albeit Robin Koch was off the field having a wound sealed. Moises Caicedo was on the floor when the chance fell to him, and unable to force it past Illan Meslier but 11 minutes in, it was a sign Potter was starting to crack the code.

Leeds were lucky Solly March’s shot was so terrible after breaking the 13th-minute offside trap.

Mac Allister’s shot at Meslier from about 35 yards suggested Brighton were getting over-excited, but when Rodrigo gave the ball away in the 21st minute they broke into far too much space and Yves Bissouma played Welbeck in to toy with Llorente before chipping over Meslier.

Elland Road’s frustration grew when Rodrigo surrendered possession cheaply again minutes later. Phillips slammed a water bottle into the turf.

But Brighton failed to add to their lead, Mac Allister flicking a back-header at Meslier and Koch tracking Trossard well after the Belgian got in behind. His reward was an unbalanced Mac Allister shooting wide from the tackle.

Even on the days Leeds were wide open under Bielsa they usually created chances.

But Joe Gelhardt hooked a shot into Liam Cooper’s face at a second-minute corner and even as they finished the half strongly, you wondered if frustration might be the theme, especially when Sanchez pulled off a great save to deny Mateusz Klich. Leeds continued in the same vein after the break, but with the same luck, Raphinha shooting over at the start of the second half. Junior Firpo heading wide at a corner won by the winger’s long throw-in and despite taking his time to set himself, Jack Harrison blazing off target. Lewis Dunk defended brilliantly to stop Rodrigo converting Raphinha’s outside-of-the-boot cross. Potter tried to wrestle the initiative back, switching to a back four, but admitted at full-time Leeds did not deserve to lose. Sanchez brilliantly saved a Raphinha free-kick and the Brazilian put Rodrigo’s curling ball off target.

Leeds began to look weary – tanks emptied, as Marsch put it – and gave the ball back to Brighton too often, too easily.

Sanchez saved from Klich, Gelhardt dragged wide and the mood turned ugly as it started to look like it was not going to happen.

Out-thought, yes, out-fought no. Leeds battle on.