Lights go out on Leeds United as Connolly insists the power failures at Portsmouth denied them crucial victory

The Elland Road club claimed a point from a thrilling 2-2 draw at Fratton Park on an afternoon when the lights went out three times due to power cuts.

Play continued through the first of those due to there being sufficient natural light early in the second half.

However, it was a different story when the floodlights failed twice in the final quarter of an hour with proceedings having to be held up for 10 and five minutes respectively.

At the time, the game was delicately poised at 2-2 but United right-back Connolly insists the visitors were on top and looking the more likely side to snatch a winner.

He said: "The floodlights going out could have made a big difference. It happened three times and I have never seen that before.

"It felt weird to be walking around the pitch in the dark, it really did. The main thing is to keep warm because if you get cold then that is when you pull a muscle.

"Thankfully, the lights came back on and I must admit to being half glad when the referee blew the final whistle because if they had gone off again then we might have had to come down here later in the season.

"He (referee Anthony Taylor) deserves credit as our goal was in darkness at the end (due to the lights at the Fratton End not having come back on) but he just got on with it and made sure we finished. No one wanted the game abandoned. That would have been a travesty for the fans who came all this way."

On what potential difference the two hold-ups had on the final result, Connolly added: "The momentum was with us when the game was stopped.

"Robert Snodgrass was causing absolute mayhem down the right and Max (Gradel) was doing the same on the left.

"I really thought we were going to win it. We were causing all sorts of problems at the time, skipping inside players and getting lots of shots and crosses in. They were having to get blocks in and we did lose momentum when the game had to be stopped. It was a shame as, apart from their goal, I can't think of them doing too much in the second half.

"In the context of the game, I thought we did enough to win it."

United's point, achieved thanks to second-half strikes from Luciano Becchio and Davide Somma, was enough to keep Simon Grayson's men in fifth place in the Championship.

A draw was deserved reward for both sides, who contributed fully to an engrossing game that persuaded most of the 20,040 crowd to remain inside Fratton Park even during the second stoppage when just three minutes remained on the clock.

Portsmouth, whose starting line-up featured 10 players who appeared in the Premier League for a variety of clubs last season, dominated the first half and led through Joel Ward's 26th-minute opener but Leeds responded admirably after the break.

Connolly said: "We have to be happy with a point when you look at their first XI. There is a lot of Premier League experience in that team, so a point has to be a decent result."

On United's below-par display in the first half, Connolly added: "The gaffer told us during half-time in no uncertain terms that we had to step it up.

"He also made it clear it was important that we didn't use Wednesday (when Leeds lost 3-1 to Arsenal in an FA Cup third round replay) as an excuse.

"But I really did feel jaded during the first half, I won't lie to you about that. I am sure a lot of the lads would tell you the same.

"It was one of those days when we got a second wind after the break. All the lads dug in and I thought there was only one team who looked like they would win it late on and that was us."

Manager Grayson, who has given his players a couple of days off to recharge their batteries this week, was pleased with how United dealt with the disruption of the floodlight failures.

He said: "Full credit to the people at Portsmouth and the officials. They knew what the situation was and kept everyone informed.

"The players just had to keep their concentration levels and keep warm for when the game restarted. I am pleased that the players managed to do that."

United are not in action again until a week tomorrow when they take on Hull City at the

KC Stadium and Grayson is hoping to use the time to bolster his squad.

He said: "It gives me a free week to try and get one or two players in. Andy Hughes left to go to Scunthorpe so we need to fill his shoes and there are other areas of the field where I want to bring players in.

"A free week is an opportunity to try and do that."