match report crystal palace 0 - 0 leeds utd
By Josh Evans
Leeds United had an inspired Ilian Meslier to thank as they held onto a goalless draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday evening
In a real throwback game, Leeds battled hard in midfield and kept out a Palace side who looked dangerous, especially late in the second half.
Wilfried Zaha was the real dangerman throughout, and it was Luke Ayling who had the unenviable task of marking the wide man with a number of competitive duels that boiled over on a couple of occasions.
It will be deemed as a point gained in our efforts to stave off the drop with games against Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea around the corner.
Palace started much the brighter and created an opening on 15 minutes when Jordan Ayew was released down their right before he crossed for Jean-Philippe Mateta who could only guide it wide of the mark.
Liam Cooper had Leeds’ first shot on target when Jack Harrison earned the Whites’ first corner and whipped in a dangerous cross, but Cooper couldn’t generate enough power to trouble Victor Guaita in the Palace net.
In a fairly evenly contested first-half, Leeds would have seen the second half as a genuine opportunity to pick up three points if they played their cards right.
Ayling manoeuvred space on the edge of the box before he passed to substitute Joe Gelhardt who could only strike straight at the ‘keeper on 79 minutes.
Just two minutes later Wilfried Zaha forced Meslier into a fine double save as the game began to stretch.
Christian Benteke produced a fantastic cross-field ball for Micheal Olise who fed Conor Gallagher but his effort didn’t trouble Meslier in goal.
Leeds failed to offer much on the counter-attack as the Eagles camped themselves in the Leeds half for much of the second half.
Despite unwavering pressure, Leeds held onto a valuable point that opened up a five-point cushion with a huge sigh of relief at full-time.
Leeds captain Kalvin Phillips told Sky Sports: “We were disappointed with the performance, but the point matters.
On remaining fixtures: “You know what you’re getting when you play Leeds, it’s never an easy game.”