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Leeds United climb back to the top after edging nine-goal thriller with Birmingham City

Leeds United had to take the lead for a fourth time to see off Birmingham City in nine-goal thriller - PA
Leeds United had to take the lead for a fourth time to see off Birmingham City in nine-goal thriller - PA

Birmingham City 4 Leeds United 5

Leeds displaced West Bromwich Albion at the top of the Championship ahead of their meeting at The Hawthorns on New Year’s Day after edging a thriller at St Andrew’s.

In a pulsating match, Leeds stormed into a two-goal lead in the first 21 minutes before a determined Birmingham dragged the scores level in the second half.

They edged ahead twice more only for the home side to refuse to lie down before midfielder Jack Harrison grabbed a stoppage time winner with his second goal of the afternoon.  The contest ended in don’t-look-away drama with goals after 83 and 84 minutes of normal time, and in the first and fifth minutes of added time.

Celebrations in a packed away section of the crowd then grew louder as news arrived of a 2-0 defeat for rivals Albion at home  to Middlesbrough.

Leeds had taken the lead with a brilliant piece of counter-attacking play as Liam Cooper cleared a Birmingham corner. Much credit was due to the midfielder Jack Harrison, who powered forward on a 50-yard run before releasing the ball for Helder Costa, who slipped in ahead of defender Maxime Colin before sliding a neat, angled finish wide of ‘keeper Connal Trueman.

It was a sixth assist of the season from Harrison, who then claimed a goal for himself after Ezgjan Alioski laid the ball into his path at the conclusion of another fast break.  He had some luck, though, the ball taking a significant deflection after it struck defender Harlee Dean, leaving Trueman helplessly wrong-footed.

Helder Costa - Credit: Mick Walker - CameraSport via Getty Images
Helder Costa scores the first of the game's nine goals Credit: Mick Walker - CameraSport via Getty Images

Two goals to the good so quickly, Leeds looked well placed to take control but Birmingham were not in the mood to melt away, even after winning only one in their previous 10.  Indeed, for the remainder of the first half, the visiting defence was the busier.

Pep Clotet’s team pulled one back quickly, Colin taking advantage of lax defending by Leeds on their left and passing square for Jude Bellingham, the home side’s precociously talented 16-year-old, who took a touch on the edge of the box before stroking the ball calmly into the bottom right-hand corner.

Leeds often lacked composure at the back and Birmingham were close to an equaliser before half-time as Dan Crowley had two attempts blocked before Jutkiewicz, off balance, poked the loose ball over the bar.

Birmingham continued to press after the break and were rewarded with an equaliser just past the hour mark as Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla could only parry a header from Kerim Mrabti following a corner and Jutkiewicz pounced for his seventh goal of the season.

Bielsa’s side needed to change the pattern of play to avoid a costly defeat as the home team pushed now for a winner but instead a moment of brilliance to wrest back the advantage.  It came from a unlikely source, full-back Luke Ayling finding himself suddenly in a shooting position outside the Birmingham box and responding with a sweetly struck finish, arrowing the ball with his right foot from the edge of the box on a trajectory that took it wide of Trueman and in off the far post.

It was Ayling’s first goal for nine months and he celebrated wildly, as he might.

But the drama was far from over.  With seven minutes left of normal time, Casilla missed a Kristian Pedersen free kick and substitute Jeremie Bela  headed Birmingham level again.

A minute after that, Leeds regained the lead, Stuart Dallas latching on to an Ayling flick on to beat Trueman with a cool finish. But, moments after the fourth official signalled six minutes of added time, Jutkiewicz slid home at the far post to claim his second of the match, converting a Bela cross.

However, with the clock running down, Leeds scored again, Wes Harding, under pressure from Harrison, putting through his own goal when trying to cut out Ayling’s cross to send the visiting section wild.