For a time on Tuesday at Elland Road, the EFL Cup second round tie between Leeds United and Newport County was going very well for the League Two side.
They were a goal up and nearly got the lead into half time. But the Whites struck back, scoring five unanswered goals. Here are three thoughts as they rolled:
Roofe is on fire
In the first match since officially parting ways with Chris Wood, Leeds United responded by deploying Kemar Roofe up top for the first time. The move went very well, and they’ve found yet another way- it appears- to deal without the departed big man. Roofe’s first goal was simple enough, a tap-in from a corner kick situation.
His second was a steady finish that he rocketed in to the back of the net after he picked out a fine position to be in, like a natural striker would. His third goal, though, was the cherry on top of the sundae.
He bent down to bicycle the ball into the lower left hand of the goalkeeper’s net, giving him as fine a hat trick as any. And, to make matters even better he nearly had a sumptuous chip goal before that that was only kept out by the underside of the bar!
Leeds start very slowly
5-1 reads quite well, but there are a couple of concerns heading into the Championship proper (and the next round of this cup) after their very poor start. Newport had a couple of really good chances before opening the scoring, and had they taken them, we could be looking at a totally different score line in the end.
This is not a problem in a cup match when you have plenty of depth and quality to your team. But it is one for when you face the better teams. Closing out games strong is a great asset to have, but it is never something you take while sacrificing the beginning of the match.
Green gaffes again
Let’s just all go ahead and get it out of our system, alright? Rob Green, yes the same one that gave up one of the FIFA World Cup’s easiest goals ever, did it again on Tuesday night against Newport. Thankfully for him, his side responded to score five goals. I will defend the veteran here.
As funny as it might be, he’s had little playing time of late. Whether that decision has been vindicated or not can be debated if you like, but this kind of thing happens to the very best goalkeepers. If Green is needed again, he will be there ready to perform admirably when called upon- just don’t expect that to happen soon, unless Christansen’s hand is forced.
