Luton Town 1 Leeds United 1: Manor Solomon miss sums up nerves as Whites' wobble continues

The Whites struggled with their hosts' physicality, never more so than in the build-up to Isaiah Jones' opening goal, but seemed to have more difficulty handling the pressure of a three-horse Championship title race that they are losing ground in.

How else could you explain Manor Solomon's miss when the lead was there for the taking after 83 minutes.

Earlier in the season, getting the heck out of hostile, cramped Kenilworth Road with a point in the bag against a side who have belatedly found some form in the way relegation-threatened teams often do could have been a job well done.

But given the results Leeds took to Bedfordshire, the unrelenting pace of Sheffield United and Burnley, and the memory of past failures, more was needed on a sunny Saturday afternoon just to put everyone at ease.

The sight of Patrick Struik limping off the pitch in a protective boot at full-time was hardly reassuring either.

Even before Sheffield United's game at Oxford United, Leeds has dropped out of the automatic promotion places. Daniel Farke might be confident they can win the play-offs if that is their fate but few who know their Leeds history will be.

They have just six matches to put it right.

Luton let Leeds have much more of the ball, but played on their physical and mental weakness to take the lead.

Thomas Kaminski had only just made the game's first two saves of note, getting across brilliantly when Junior Firpo cleverly let a Solomon delivery hit him in the midriff, then denying the winger directly, when Luton broke at the other end.

Liam Walsh bullied Willy Gnonto into giving up possession and although Leeds quickly got it back, Elijah Adebayor outmuscled Ao Tanaka – like Gnonto and Firpo, back in the side after missing the 2-2 draw with Swansea City. When Jordan Clark crossed, former Middlesbrough wide player Jones was in a criminal amount of space to score at the back post, and the Leeds nerves began jangling again, 15 minutes in.

Suddenly, even the composure goalkeeper Karl Darlow had shown early on in his first Championship start since December 2023 became a negative, too cool for school as he stood over the ball in the D, looking for a pass to pick, before being hurried into playing it in the nick of time as he saw Adebayor sprint his way.

Fortunately for Leeds, they do have some enduring quality in their squad.

When Luton only half-cleared a Solomon corner in the 28th minute it came out to James, who had not got a clean enough header on a good chance the Israeli presented him three minutes in.

The ball fell for James beyond the penalty area and he calmly brought inside to curl a magnificent equaliser.

Not that it stopped the jitters.

Tanaka misplacing a relatively straight-forward header meant for Solomon minutes later showed that and late in the first half Jayden Bogle overdid the rough stuff, following through to give Alfie Doughty a good old whack high up on his shinpads late in the half. It got him a yellow card but on another day could have been even more harshly punished.

Chances were even more scarce in the second half but Leeds fluffed a 24-carat one.

Darlow started the half with a good save down to his left after Thelo Aasgaard beat Joe Rodon and shot, but the game became a real arm wrestle thereafter.

Leeds turned to Patrick Bamford, returning from a hamstring injury that has kept him out since New Year's Day, to bring more physicality just after the hour, but when James picked up a Rodon header and played the striker through, Kaminski saved.

Solomon was not having a great day, booked for fouling Walsh as the frustration at being deemed to have run the ball out of play minutes earlier bubbled out of him.

He ought to have been the hero on 83 minutes , presented with a golden opportunity by James. He had to be at full speed to get onto it but he was, and with Kaminski running across his goal, there was plenty of net to aim at.

His effort skewed wide.

The introduction of the lesser-spotted Isaac Schmidt rather than Largie Ramazani as Solomon's overdue replacement made you wonder if the frazzled minds even extended to a bench missing the injured Joe Rothwell and ill Mateo Joseph.

The marathon is far from over, but these are worrying signs from Leeds.

Luton Town: Kaminski; Makosso, McGuinness, Bell; Jones (Nelson 77), Clark, Aasgaard, Walsh, (Fanne 77) Doughty (Nordas 77); Morris, Adebayo (Chong 59).

Unused substitutes: Naismith, Burke, Alli, Krul, Bowler.

Leeds United: Darlow; Bogle (Byram 87), Rodon, Struijk (Wober 87), Firpo; Tanaka, Ampadu; James, Gnonto (Bamford 62), Solomon (Schmidt 87); Piroe (Aaronson 78).

Unused substitutes: Meslier, Ramazani, Guilavogui, Gruev.

Referee: T Bramall (Sheffield).