Leeds United 3-1 Leicester City: Whites produce stunning fightback to close gap on leaders

Leeds United scored three late goals to complete a stunning turnaround and secure a ninth successive league win at the expense of Championship leaders Leicester.

With Leicester losing their discipline, Dan James’ 20-yard free-kick in stoppage time bounced off Patrick Bamford and in to move second-placed Leeds to within six points of Leicester.

In an action-packed encounter at Elland Road, the visitors took a deserved lead when Wout Faes, who had the final touch on Gray’s strike, headed in unmarked from a corner.

Enzo Maresca’s men started the second half as they did the first and Stephy Mavididi drew a good save from Illan Meslier in the Leeds goal, before Patson Daka wrongly had a goal ruled out for offside after Jannik Vestergaard’s towering header came back off the crossbar.

The Zambian striker then missed a brilliant chance to make it 2-0 when he shot wide when played in on goal and that miss proved to be very costly as the Foxes fell to a second straight defeat.

Leeds breathe new life into title race

For Leeds, this most unlikely of comebacks will have given them renewed hope of chasing the Foxes down for the Championship title as both look to secure immediate returns to the Premier League.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke had warned his side against being “over-motivated” for this game, while Maresca had said the game was “huge” for the home side given how far behind Leicester they were.

Joel Piroe wasted a fine chance to give Leeds an early advantage before the away side grew into the contest and went in front.

Faes became just the second player to score a league goal against the Whites in 2024 when he headed in after Daka had flicked on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s corner.

Chances came and went for both sides thereafter in a stretched first half, as Piroe headed wide for the Whites almost immediately after Faes’ goal and Vestergaard came in with a perfectly-timed last-ditch tackle to deny the busy Crysencio Summerville as the hosts looked for a way back into it.

Leeds struggled for any sort of fluency after the break and both Daka and Mavididi missed gilt-edged chances on the counter before Farke’s men, almost from nowhere summoned up a remarkable comeback.

First Burnley loanee Roberts drilled home after Vestergaard made a mess of trying to cut out a low cross from Georginio Rutter.

Three minutes later it was 2-1, although it remains to be seen if 17-year-old Gray has scored his first ever senior goal after his shot took a couple of deflections on its way in.

Another fortuitous deviation on James’ strike off fellow substitute Bamford with just seconds remaining chalked up Leeds’ 2,000th win in their 104-year history and left Leicester stunned at a febrile Elland Road.