Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Leeds United 4: Scoreline tells a fraction of the story but the only bit that matters to Whites

A year to the day after Luke Ayling scored as Leeds United won a frankly bonkers game 3-2 win at the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers, it looked as if Luke Ayling scored in a frankly bonkers 3-2 win at the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

In the end it was 4-2, Rodrigo lifting a stoppage-time goal over Jose Sa, and the game went beyond crazy with two Wolves players sent off, one without even making it onto the pitch.

Julen Lopetegui was going spare with referee Michael Salisbury at full-time and he was by no means alone.

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The dramatics were one things but the facts were what mattered to Leeds. On a day when Southampton and Leicester City drew and Bournemouth lost, they moved up to 14th, a point behind Wolves with a game in hand.

They have picked up seven in four matches under coach Javi Gracia, another new Leeds coach at the uncomfortable end of the Premier League table 12 months on.

Not many teams could be 3-0 up against a side who have not had a centre-forward find the net for them in over a year of Premier League football and still make a game of it. Leeds somehow managed it.

What made it all the more remarkable was that the Whites had not been playing with the almost reckless abandon that was such a trademark under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, they had in fact played with huge tactical discipline.

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But once former Middlesbrough and Barcelona winger Adama Traore came on as a wing-back after 59 minutes – just before Rasmus Kristensen put his side 3-0 up – Leeds had no answer, at least whilst it was 11 v 11.

DECISIVE MOMENT: Leeds United's Rodrigo Moreno makes it 4-2DECISIVE MOMENT: Leeds United's Rodrigo Moreno makes it 4-2
DECISIVE MOMENT: Leeds United's Rodrigo Moreno makes it 4-2

Only when Jonny Otto went into a tackle with his studs over the ball and into Ayling's shins with 84 minutes gone could Leeds breathe a sigh of relief. Even then the officials cranked up the tension, video assistant referee David Coote sending Salisbury over for a long look at his pitchside monitor.

He would be back to check on Rodrigo's goal, which featured a shirt-pull as Traore weakly lost the ball in the build-up, and he would show a red card to unused substitute Matheus Nunes for his angry reactions to it. It was a good job for him his team-mates held him back.

Leeds fans will be delighted with that but how many more games like this can their hearts take between now and the end of the season?

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Away from home and with a lead to defend after six minutes, Leeds had no obligation to defend, and did their job with good discipline for an hour.

ECSTASY: Leeds United goalscorer Rodrigo celebratesECSTASY: Leeds United goalscorer Rodrigo celebrates
ECSTASY: Leeds United goalscorer Rodrigo celebrates

When Jack Harrison neatly finished it was already the second good chance created from a pull-back on the left. Weston McKennie had been unable to keep his effort down after Patrick Bamford's lay-off but when the ball was switched out for the recalled Willy Gnonto to beat Nelson Semedo, Harrison made no mistake.

From there, Leeds were able to funnel into a tight 4-4-1-1 whenever they had the ball, with even centre-forward Bamford coming back into midfield at times to do some good defensive work.

It left all the space out wide and Wolves recognised as much, but they lacked the cutting edge to make the most of it. It was no surprise they took off both wingers.

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With bright sunshine in the warm-up followed by a downpour shortly before the teams emerged and a double rainbow when it stopped, underfoot conditions were slippery, contributing to a couple of bookings and a difficult start to the game for Ayling.

CONTROVERSY: Referee Michael Salisbury reviews Jonny's tackle on Luke AylingCONTROVERSY: Referee Michael Salisbury reviews Jonny's tackle on Luke Ayling
CONTROVERSY: Referee Michael Salisbury reviews Jonny's tackle on Luke Ayling

It was on the other side of the field where Wolves thought they had a penalty when Junior Firpo's tackle on Nelson Semedo was referred to Coote. Although Firpo caught the winger on his follow-through from winning the ball, the video assistant referee was happy Salisbury had not made a clear and obvious error in waving play on.

A couple of minutes later the hosts had two good chances in succession, Illan Meslier saving from Daniel Podence as he wriggled past Ayling, and Max Wober throwing himself in front of Neto's goalbound follow-up.

Craig Dawson headed a free-kick wide and Marc Roca produced a good block when Ruben Neves threatened a trademark blockbuster. He would curl another just wide as the pressure on Meslier – the youngest goalkeeper to 100 Premier League starts and the third youngest Leeds stopper to the milestone – grew.

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Even centre-back Max Kilman overlapped down the left but his cross did not find a touch until Neto produced another shot Wober could get in the way of.

Leeds were not posing enough problems themselves, and when Roca took the sting out of a move by putting his foot on the ball and playing it backwards ultimately to Meslier, Elland Road would have voiced its frustration.

Allowed to do so, the Whites were "managing" the game shrewdly, Meslier taking as long as he could get away with over restarts and 17-year-old substitute Archie Gray showing the wiliness of a man twice his age to clumsily kick a second ball onto the field swinging his leg as Wolves prepared to take a throw-in.

Late in the first half they did show they could make mischief at the other end too, McKennie half-volleying a corner played to him arriving unmarked at the far post wide and Bamford putting a free-kick over. Brenden Aaronson shot over too.

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Five minutes into the second half, Ayling looked to have put it to bed.

Wolves will be furious that a simple run around the back got him so much space at a Roca corner and not exactly delighted either that his diving header went under the body of Jose Sa.

Gracia responded to the introduction of Wolves' third and fourth substitutes by also switching to a back four and bringing on Rasmus Kristensen, who scored almost immediately.

Jonny dwelt on a Harrison cross and the Dane pounced.

That should have been the game put to bed but like an over-excited child, it just refused to go to sleep.

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Jonny made amends when Meslier, who had made some important saves, rushed out of his area to head the ball, then watching Roca give it to the left-back to volley into the empty net from around 40 yards.

There was panic every time Traore ran at Leeds, so much so that Firpo had to be substituted and when Cunha's 74th-minute shot deflected in, it reached new heights.

Jonny relieved it and Rodrigo put a stop to it.

But it was a breathtaking, bewildering game.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa; Semedo (Traore 59), Dawson (Collins 46), Kilman, Jonny; Neves (Moutinho 77) , Lemina; Neto (Sarabia 46), Joao Gomes, Podence (Cunha 59); Jimenez.

Unused substitutes: Bentley, Toti, Nunes, Costa.

Leeds United: Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Wober, Firpo (Struijk 81); McKennie, Roca; Harrison, Gnonto (Kristensen 61); Aaronson (Summerville 81); Bamford (Rodrigo 67).

Unused substitutes: Cooper, Robles, Sinisterra, Rutter, Gray.

Referee: M Salisbury (Lancashire).