Leeds 1 Barnsley 2: Butterfield keeps Barnsley on top in battle for Yorkshire pride

After ending last season on top of the Championship’s mini-Yorkshire league with 17 points from 10 clashes against their county rivals, the Reds are at it again this time around.

Leeds United can now be added to Hull City and Doncaster Rovers in the list of derby scalps claimed by Keith Hill’s side this month.

As with those two previous victories over White Rose opposition, Barnsley were full value for the three points with their neat attacking play proving too much for the home side.

Leeds may have rallied after the break courtesy of a stunning free-kick from Ross McCormack that halved the visitors’ advantage, which had come courtesy of first-half goals by Ricardo Vaz Te and Craig Davies.

But, in truth, for all the possession enjoyed by Simon Grayson’s men, Barnsley rarely looked like conceding for a second time with Luke Steele’s only real save of note coming deep in stoppage time when the goalkeeper had to throw himself in the way of a Ramon Nunez shot.

Even then, though, there were four Reds defenders between the ball and the net to suggest that had Nunez beaten Steele then it was by no means a foregone conclusion that his shot would have got as far as the net.

Barnsley’s supremacy – both in terms of the result and the game itself – owed everything to a truly masterful display from Jacob Butterfield, who again underlined just why he is considered to be one of the Championship’s emerging stars.

The Bradford-born 21-year-old has been tracked by several Premier League scouts this season and, on this showing, it is easy to see what all the excitement is all about.

Neat and tidy in possession, Butterfield’s drive was pivotal in ensuring Leeds were rarely able to gain a foothold in the centre of the field. It was a true captain’s display and one that provided the platform for Vaz Te, Jim O’Brien and Matt Done to get forward in support of lone frontman Craig Davies and ensure the Reds maintained their impressive form against Yorkshire opposition.

Davies, whose first-half strike was his fifth in as many games, said: “It has been a good month with the wins over Hull, Doncaster and now Leeds. Winning at Elland Road is a massive result and shows what we are capable of doing.

“We are 14th and just three points off sixth place. There is nothing in it and if we can be consistent from now on then I am sure we will be at the right end of the table.

“Leeds are a good team and I am sure they will be up there come the end of the season.

“So, to come to their place and win with a good performance is a big thing for us.

“Leeds put us under pressure after getting the goal but we stuck to it and deserved the win. It was great to score the goal that won the game.

“I was always confident I could score goals. I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, I just mean I always believed in myself. At the start of the season, I was trying to find my feet but, hopefully, I am doing that now.”

It is not just Davies who seems to have adapted well in recent weeks to the demands of the Championship. Barnsley, too, are looking a much more cohesive unit than was perhaps the case in the early part of the campaign.

Certainly, the formation Hill opted for at Elland Road suited his players to a tee with the tireless Davies getting plenty of support to ensure the United defence was never able to settle.

As impressive as Barnsley were, however, there was no doubting that the first goal had an element of good fortune.

O’Brien was the creator with an astute pass to Vaz Te, who then scuffed his shot to the extent that the ball looped up and over the despairing dive of Alex McCarthy, the loanee having moved early in anticipation of a sweeter connection from the Portuguese midfielder. As fortunate as the opening goal may have been, the same could not be said about Barnsley’s second just before the break as Butterfield unleashed a fierce shot that McCarthy could only parry after it dipped at the final moment.

Davies was then the quickest to react, the summer signing from Chesterfield calmly drilling the ball past the helpless United goalkeeper.

Leeds could have few complaints at being behind at the interval with their first-half display having been as lacklustre as it was frustrating for the majority of the 25,900 crowd.

Matters did improve after the break, a sense of urgency having returned to the home side’s play. Their reward came on 55 minutes when McCormack ended his seven-game scoreless run in fine style with a curled free-kick that gave Steele no chance in the visitors’ goal.

With the Elland Road crowd having found their voice, that should have been the prelude to an attacking onslaught from Simon Grayson’s men.

But it never quite materialised, Barnsley actually looking the side more likely to score the game’s fourth goal as Done came within a whisker of getting on the end of an inviting cross from O’Brien.

McCarthy then had to get down smartly to keep out a Jay McEveley shot before Leeds exerted some late pressure as Steele turned a mis-cued clearing header from David Perkins behind for a corner before keeping out Nunez in stoppage time.

By then, Barnsley had been reduced to 10 men due to Perkins being shown a second yellow card for a foul on Andy Keogh but they held on to once again taste success in a Yorkshire derby.

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