Bristol City 2 Leeds United 3: Diouf’s double brings smile to Leeds’s faces in triumphant week

Neil Warnock praised his Leeds United side for a “fantastic week” after two second-half goals from El-Hadji Diouf helped secure three points at Ashton Gate.

The visitors followed up a win over Nottingham Forest and a memorable Capital One Cup success against Everton with another accomplished performance and victory.

Warnock said: “What a fantastic week. To beat Forest, Everton and Bristol City over such a short space of time with seven players out injured is tremendous.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We passed the ball too much in the first half and I always felt we could step up a gear.

“Bristol were unlucky with injuries, but we had a ‘goal’ disallowed, which I felt was harsh.

“I think we are still some way away from having Premier League potential. At this level you are judged on the strength of your bench and we have been bringing on first-year professionals.

“But I can’t praise the lads enough. I named pretty much the same team as played against Everton and that was a really tough game so to come up with another victory did them great credit.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Controversial Senegalese striker Diouf raised eyebrows when teaming up with Leeds manager Warnock in the summer, but has been grabbing the attention for all the right reasons in recent weeks.

He swept home Sam Byram’s 63rd-minute cross to open the scoring, only for Albert Adomah to equalise with a diving header eight minutes later.

Diouf then capitalised on an error by Liam Fontaine to shoot home from close range and Michael Tonge made it 3-1 with a superb 20-yard drive.

Bristol City were given hope when an 89th-minute corner from Adomah appeared to go in off Rodolph Austin for an own goal, but the home side could not find an equaliser.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bristol City side had to make a change on 40 minutes when George Elokobi, making his debut on loan from Wolves, was carried off on a stretcher with a badly broken ankle.

City manager Derek McInnes said: “George has a shocking injury with a break and dislocation to an ankle. I am so sorry for the lad because his season is over.

“We keep slitting our own throats with defensive errors and you can’t always score a boatload of goals to win games.

“I’m annoyed because I keep having to stand here and make the same comments. It’s my responsibility to make us defend better and that was why I brought George in.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Now I have to look at the left-back position again. We also lost substitute Joe Bryan with concussion so it is a big problem.”

Bristol City: Heaton, Foster, James Wilson, Fontaine, Elokobi (Bryan 43), Adomah, Kilkenny, Pearson, Woolford, Stead (Baldock 64), Taylor, Bryan (Louis Carey 61). Unused substitutes: Gerken, Davies, Morris, Elliott.

Leeds United: Kenny, Byram, Lees, Pearce, Peltier, White, Brown, Austin, Tonge, Diouf, Becchio (Gray 89). Unused substitutes: Ashdown, Drury, Varney, Pugh, Norris, Poleon.

Referee: S Attwell (Warwickshire).