Leeds United vs Burnley. Premier League.
Elland RoadAttendance36,083.
Report and free highlights as Leeds moved eight points clear of the relegation places; Jack Harrison opened scoring before sub Maxwel Cornet equalised; Stuart Dallas Marked his 250th game for the club with a stunning strike before Dan James wrapped up a big win for Bielsa's men
Sunday 2 January 2022 19:26, UK
Stuart Dallas marked his 250th Leeds appearance with a stunning strike as Marcelo Bielsa's side moved eight points clear of the relegation places with a 3-1 victory over Burnley at Elland Road.
Jack Harrison's first Premier League goal of the season (38) gave the hosts the advantage heading into the interval.
Sean Dyche responded by bringing on Maxwel Cornet at the break, and the substitute made an instant impact, scoring with a superb free-kick (54) to bring the visitors back into the game.
In what was a lively encounter, both sides pushed for a winner, and it was Leeds who eventually grabbed all three points thanks to Dallas' curled finish 13 minutes from time and substitute Dan James' stoppage-time header.
Victory sees Leeds end a run of four league matches without a win. Bielsa's side stay 16th but move eight points clear of Burnley in 18th, who still have two games in hand on many of the sides around them at the foot of the table.
Meanwhile, defeat leaves Dyche's side without a win since October as they stay in the drop zone, two points behind Watford in 17th.
It was a fast and furious contest right from the very off, and Leeds made the better start as Stuart Dallas tested Wayne Hennessey with a low strike before Raphinha almost caught the Burnley goalkeeper napping with a lobbed effort from just inside the Burnley half.
Hennessey was by the far the busier of the two keepers and he did brilliantly to keep out Junior Firpo's flick at his near post, but Illan Meslier also had to be alert to deny Chris Wood from close range after the Burnley striker was expertly picked out by Charlie Taylor.
It was end-to-end stuff at Elland Road and Tyler Roberts should have done better with Luke Ayling's cross, heading the ball back across goal but wide of the far post.
The Leeds pressure eventually told as Harrison fired the hosts ahead in the 38th minute, turning home a right-footed finish on the rebound after his initial left-footed effort had been saved by Burnley goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.
Leeds continued on the front foot as they went in search of a second, but it was Burnely, who against the run of play nearly grabbed an equaliser on the stroke of half time.
Taylor once again found Wood, but the striker's powerful shot flew inches over Meslier's crossbar.
Burnley replaced Johann Gudmundsson with Cornet after the interval and he hauled his side level with his first meaningful touch, curling a 30-yard free-kick into the top corner after he had been fouled by Diego Llorente.
Visiting defender Matt Lowton was struck in the face by a bottle thrown from the Leeds end during his side's celebrations.
Leeds had sent on teenage striker Joe Gelhardt and James for Harrison and Roberts, while Cornet's movement and trickery gave Burnley a new lease of life as the game hung in the balance heading into the final quarter.
It was Leeds who struck the next decisive blow. Mateusz Klich teed-up Dallas in a central position 20 yards out and Elland Road erupted as the Northern Ireland international buried a thumping drive into the far corner.
Leeds pressed for a game-clinching third goal and that came in time added on when James headed home Gelhardt's pinpoint cross, despite Hennessey getting a hand to it.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa: "Yes it was very necessary to get the win and it was a relief for us to be able to get it.
"We dominated the game, created danger, they created not too much danger against us, but the game was very difficult to sustain. They managed to make it very difficult.
"I thought it was going to be difficult to go again [after Burnley's goal] but we managed to get back and dominate the game again. We played a lot like how I want us to play."
Burnley boss Sean Dyche: "Leeds were decent, they were strong, they got after it. They had an edge that we didn't have. We had our moments but overall they played with an edge we couldn't find.
"Leeds play so open, they're so unpredictable at times, but we were pretty much going okay when we'd scored - we made a few moments today, but not enough.
"Not a million miles away from where we've been performance-wise. Your eyes don't lie sometimes, they were hungrier, they had more desire."
On Matthew Lowton being struck by a bottle thrown by a Leeds fan: "Hopefully he's alright, we don't want to see that, I don't want to over-egg that, it was a great atmosphere in the stadium, obviously we were just on the wrong end of that atmosphere there, but I don't want to over-egg that."
Leeds' Stuart Dallas speaking to Sky Sports:
"Brilliant. It's relief more than anything, we didn't start so well, they caused us some problems. We got into the game then and we dominated. We got ahead - we're disappointed with giving away the free-kick, it's a great finish, but we got back into the game then."
On his goal: "I saw a wall of players coming towards me, you put your head down and smash it and it'll probably hit one of them, so I tried to curl it in.
"We knew this was a huge game coming into today. We don't use it as an excuse but we've had a number of issues in the club throughout the festive period. So huge credit to the staff here for getting the players out on the pitch today.
"We've tried to rediscover some of the form we've been missing this season. People talk about Burnley being a long-ball team, but there's a method to the way they play, they're difficult opposition."
Leeds ended a run of four Premier League matches without a win (D1 L3), winning their first game since a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at the end of November, while this was the first time all season they had scored three goals in a league game.
Burnley have won just one of their last 20 Premier League games (D8 L11), a 3-1 win over newly promoted Brentford in October. The Clarets are winless in 11 away matches (D4 L7), their worst run on the road in the competition since going 17 without a win between August 2016 and April 2017.
Since re-joining the Premier League for the 2020-21 season, Leeds are unbeaten in 10 Premier League matches against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (W8 D2), winning all four such home games.
Leeds have won 18 of the 20 matches when Jack Harrison has scored in all competitions (D1 L1), a win ratio of 90%. In the club's history, only Joe Firth (95%) and Tony Yeboah (90.5%) have a higher win ratio in games scored in for the club (min. 20 games scored in).
Leeds travel to West Ham in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, January 9; kick-off at 2pm.
Burnley face Championship side Huddersfield at Turf Moor for their own third-round clash next Saturday; kick-off at 12.30pm.
