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Pompey both scored and
conceded in stoppage-time to earn a point at Leeds in their first
Championship fixture for 12 years. A dominant start for the hosts saw them take the lead from a Pascal Struijk penalty, only for Elias Sørensen to level. And the travelling Blues fans were in dreamland when Callum Lang fired them into an interval lead at Elland Road. Wilfried Gnonto equalised for the promotion favourites straight after the break and they looked to push on for more. But it seemed as though Pompey would snatch the victory when Lang netted from the spot, only for Brendan Aaronson to level at the death. John Mousinho handed competitive debuts to four of his summer signings, with Sørensen chosen to lead the line. There were also starts for Jordan Williams, Andre Dozzell and Sammy Silvera, although Matt Ritchie had to be content with a spot on the bench. If the challenge had not seemed daunting enough before the game, then the size of the task quickly became apparent. Leeds poured forward in the opening stages and hit the woodwork three times in quick succession, as the visitors’ goal lived a charmed life. Jayden Bogle slipped a pass through to Georginio Rutter, who cut back for Gnonto to hit a shot that was deflected against the bar and over. Ethan Ampadu then rose to meet the resulting corner and saw his header bounce back and into the arms of Will Norris. Soon after, a free-kick from Ilia Gruev was smashed against the upright, with Pompey hanging grimly on. But the breakthrough did arrive on 10 minutes after Connor Ogilvie was penalised for fouling Dan James in the area and Struijk stepped up to calmly slot home the spot-kick. Pompey slowly began to grow into the game, but it was still somewhat of a shock when they drew level midway through the half. Marlon Pack’s delightful threaded pass found SØRENSEN, who fired inside Ilan Meslier’s near post to mark his debut in style. Leeds looked to hit back as the rain began to fall and Norris beat away a Mateo Joseph effort before using his legs to deny Gnonto. Pompey were probably looking for the interval to regroup, but instead they found themselves ahead on 41 minutes. A free-kick from Pack was cleared only as far as LANG, who worked the ball into a shooting position before arrowing home a fine strike from outside the box. Half Time: Leeds 1 Pompey 2 Silvera did not return from the tunnel following the interval, with Terry Devlin brought on to replace him. And within a minute of the restart the home side were level, as Gnonto burst in from the left and hit a shot that flew through the legs of Conor Shaughnessy and past Norris’ dive. They looked to build on that and Joseph fired over, although a corner was strangely awarded, while Norris comfortably dealt with a Gruev attempt. And when Gnonto cut onto his right foot once more just past the hour mark, the keeper was equal to his shot. Norris was called into action again moments later, although was not overly troubled by Rutter’s strike from the edge of the box. Mousinho decided to make his second switch of the afternoon on 63 minutes, with Sørensen making way for Christian Saydee. Leeds were still doing most of the attacking and there were some brave blocks from Ryley Towler and Ogilvie to protect the hosts’ goal. Dozzell then appeared to cramp up and after continuing for a few minutes, was eventually replaced in the engine room by Owen Moxon. Just as before the break, though, Pompey did eventually start to settle and enjoy more possession, without being able to turn that into any meaningful chances. The hosts should have gone ahead on 83 minutes, though, as substitute Patrick Bamford nodded a Junior Firpo cross wide from a few yards out. Mousinho made a switch immediately after that, with Matt Ritchie replacing Paddy Lane to make his second Blues bow. It looked as if the game was petering towards a conclusion only for Jayden Bogle to wrestle Saydee to the ground late on. Referee Oliver Langford took a moment to consider his decision before pointing to the spot, much to the home side’s anger. LANG had to wait for their protests to die down before stepping up and rolling home a confident penalty to double his personal tally. There was still time for the hosts to have the final say, however, as Aaronson received the ball in the area and accurately slid home. And Aaronson should have then scored a late Leeds winner after being sent through, only to slide his shot wide. |
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