Leeds United v Burnley: Premier League – live!
Burnley #Burnley
8.46am EST 08:46
88 min “The penalty?” says Alan Chivers. “It’s a classic British thing for me, git the ball…all’s good! He absolutely battered him. The fact he got the ball is not important here.”
Thing is, had he blocked Bamford with his body or hands rather than his foot, I don’t think a foul would have been given. What’s the difference? The challenge was very strong but it wasn’t reckless. You’re right to say getting the ball doesn’t necessarily invalidate everything else, especially with dangerous tackle, but now we are getting to the stage where getting the ball is seen as entirely irrelevant. And in a contact sport, that’s absurd.
8.43am EST 08:43
87 min: Good save from Meslier! That’s his best save of the match. Barnes received a pass Tarkowski on the right side of the area, dragged the ball into the space and smacked a shot towards the near post. Meslier moved smartly to his left to push it behind.
8.42am EST 08:42
86 min Yet another corner for Burnley. Westwood’s outswinger is punched away by Meslier. It wasn’t entirely convincing, but his willingness to come for every single ball into the box has been admirable. There are many more experienced goalkeepers who hide in such situations.
Updated at 8.42am EST
8.41am EST 08:41
85 min Leeds have been so poor on the ball in the second half. It’s slightly hard to fathom.
8.40am EST 08:40
83 min “I may be late to this, but I think one of the reasons we all love this Leeds team is the subliminal reminders they give us of playground football,” says Gary Naylor. “Of course, at a higher level it’s technical Bielsaball, but if you ease back and narrow the eyes a little, it’s everyone running round like mad trying to score, with the couple of big lads who can be bothered detailed to do a bit of defending. I’d love to er… spy on a first team vs reserves trading ground exercise.”
I’d love to watch a game of Murderball. But is that name offensive?
8.39am EST 08:39
82 min: Chance for Rodriguez! Barnes does well to chest down a long pass and hook it into the area towards Westwood. He lobs it beyond the far post, where Rodriguez waits for the ball to bounce but then spanks it high and wide. It wasn’t an easy chance – there were a few Leeds defenders in the way – but he should at least have kept the shot down.
8.35am EST 08:35
79 min Ashley Westwood is booked for dissent.
Updated at 8.36am EST
8.35am EST 08:35
78 min I suspect 99 per cent of football managers would prefer to win 1-0 than 4-3. Marcelo Bielsa is probably in the one per cent, so I doubt he’ll be enjoying this second half.
8.32am EST 08:32
74 min Jay Rodriguez has also come in place of Erik Pieters, which suggests a switch to a narrow 4-3-3.
8.29am EST 08:29
73 min Wood’s flick on releases Barnes, whose snapshot is beaten away at the near post by Meslier. It was a save he’d expect to make but a decent one nonetheless.
8.28am EST 08:28
71 min: Fine save from Pope! Leeds broke three on two, with Hernandez on the ball. He ran 50 yards to the edge of the area before trying to thread a shot into the bottom-right corner. Pope got down well to his left to push it behind. On reflection, Hernandez should probably have played in Harrison.
Nick Pope of Burnley makes a save. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Updated at 8.32am EST
8.27am EST 08:27
70 min A third change for Leeds: Ian Poveda-Ocampo replaces Raphinha.
8.24am EST 08:24
68 min If Leeds do win they will jump from 15th to 11th. For all Burnley’s possession in the second half, Illan Meslier hasn’t had any difficult saves to make.
8.23am EST 08:23
67 min I know Leeds were once managed by George Graham, but I didn’t expect them to follow a 5-2 and a 2-6 with a dogged 1-0 victory.
8.22am EST 08:22
66 min Another Leeds change: Jamie Shackleton replaces Mateusz Klich.
8.22am EST 08:22
66 min A rare Leeds attack ends with Dallas curling tamely over the bar from 20 yards.
8.21am EST 08:21
65 min Leeds have been pinned back for most of the second half. I don’t think they’re inviting pressure; it’s just that they are unable to get out.
8.20am EST 08:20
63 min Okay, I said no more talk about VAR, but this is too good for a lover of the Big Lebowski to resist.
“Sometimes you eat the VAR,” says Ian Copestake, “and sometimes the VAR eats you.”
8.17am EST 08:17
61 min Another beautiful cross from Westwood skims off the head of Phillips, just in front of Wood. That was a vital touch. Westwood’s delivery from wide areas is exceptional.
8.16am EST 08:16
60 min The Elland Road pitch isn’t great, as discussed, but I should stress it’s nothing like it used to be.
Leeds United defender Stuart Dallas gets rid of the ball. Photograph: Simon Davies/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock
Updated at 8.29am EST
8.15am EST 08:15
58 min “Is it me,” says Joe Pearson, “or does the pitch look an absolute mess?”
Yes, by modern standards it’s cutting up a fair bit.
8.13am EST 08:13
57 min Meslier makes another comfortable save, this time from Brownhill’s wobbling long-range shot.
8.11am EST 08:11
54 min Benson and Brownhill combine nicely to find Barnes, whose deflected shot is headed away by Phillips. Moments later, Lowton’s low shot is comfortably saved by Meslier. Burnley have been very good since half-time.
Updated at 8.11am EST
8.09am EST 08:09
52 min At the other end, Raphinha beats Taylor and has a shot blocked bravely by Mee. It’s a good game, this, and the next goal feels pretty darn important.
8.08am EST 08:08
51 min A Burnley corner is headed away by Raphinha. Westwood swings it back into the area, where the flying Mee can only head it across goal. Tarkowski is then flagged offside but Mee’s was the better chance. On reflection, he was under a fair bit of pressure from a Leeds defender.
8.06am EST 08:06
49 min Burnley are dominating possession at the start of the second half. Klich’s poor touch allows Barnes to find Westwood on the left of the area. He stands up a rabona cross – I did a double take as well – towards Wood, and Phillips gets in front of him to head the ball away.
8.04am EST 08:04
48 min With England in mind, Kalvin Phillips’ accomplished performance today has been interesting. He might be an option in the John Stones role from 2018 if Gareth Southgate decides to play three at the back in the Euros. The new, improved John Stones could then play the Kyle Walker role, with Harry Maguire plodding on defiantly in the Harry Maguire position.
That said, Wood and Barnes aren’t exactly Mbappe and Griezmann.
Updated at 8.05am EST
8.02am EST 08:02
47 min “How is Benson doing on the wing after his nightmare intro against Wolves?” says Doug Statt. “Not sure I’ve seen him mentioned (which probably answers it).”
I’ve barely noticed him, for good or bad. Most of Burnley’s noteworthy attacks have been from set-pieces taken by Westwood or Pieters.
7.59am EST 07:59
In other news, Krzysztof Ratajski is wiping the floor with Simon Whitlock in the darts. I thought that would be a seven-set thriller.
7.56am EST 07:56
The Mac Millings Christmas XI!
“By way of wishing everyone a Happy Christmas,” writes Mac Millings, “here’s my all time Christmas Songs XI:
Updated at 7.59am EST
7.54am EST 07:54
Right. Sod this, no more VAR talk for the rest of the game, or my blood-pressure levels will become problematic.
7.53am EST 07:53
“I would disagree with this ‘we’re stuck with VAR forever’ mentality,” says Edouard. “Of course, if we all think like this, it’ll be a self-fulfilling prophecy. But all it would take for VAR to go away would be enough people voicing discontent that the money-driven powers that be realise we’re best off without it. I would love for there to be a supporter’s group with petitions, walkouts, and so forth. Realistically, you’re probably right it won’t ever go away, and I imagine more and more people will gradually do as I have, which is to stop watching football entirely. By the time the commercial stakeholders in football realise what’s happened, it’ll be too late.”
The problem is that VAR has heighted our reaction to unjust decisions, and I think that will persist even if we go back to the old system. People complained about decisions then, of course, but there was also a vague acceptance that it was part of the game. Not anymore, and I don’t know how you cure that. You can change the system but it’s harder to change a culture of entitlement. Ach, I’m not smart enough to put all the pieces together, but I don’t think there’s a satisfactory solution any more. There was one: to trial VAR properly, for years and years and years. But they couldn’t be bothered doing that, and here we are.
7.49am EST 07:49
“Hi Rob,” says Gary Naylor. “Interesting comments from the always perceptive Andy Hinchcliffe about defending without the expectation of winning the ball – eg jumping with the attacker to make their header more difficult. It sounds like a foul, at least obstruction, yet it never gets given. The more cameras there are, the more the underlying norms of the game that exist alongside the laws are revealed – and the more sustenance there is for the maw of VAR.”
In the year 2025, former West Ham full-back Ray Stewart, aged 66, will come out of retirement to play as a specialist penalty taker. He’ll touch the ball three times a game and end the season with 122 goals.
7.46am EST 07:46
Peep peep! Leeds have played their usual charming football and deserve to lead on the balance of play. Burnley will be aggrieved with a couple of VAR decisions, but they are still in this and have been particularly dangerous at set pieces. See you in 10 minutes for more action.
7.45am EST 07:45
45+1 min “Is it possible we stop whining about VAR?” says Benjamin Park. “The moaning has become rather tedious. Don’t get me wrong, it was a horrible decision, but there is a bigger refereeing issue here. First of all, I believe the bar for ‘clear cut mistake’ is far too high. This is not a murder trial. Secondly, in this instance, we all know that goalkeepers are given a bit more liberty in their penalty box, but shouldn’t we more discuss here how much leeway they’re actually given? No outfield player would have gotten away with such an action even remotely. In my opinion, the refereeing has just been very poor and inconsistent this season, that isn’t VAR’s fault.”
Football is the greatest game in history, VAR has stolen its soul and turned it into a spreadsheet. What’s not to moan about?
7.45am EST 07:45
45 min: Another chance for Leeds! That was lovely football. Rodrigo clipped a pass out to Harrison on the left and charged into the area. Harrison put in an excellent cross, and Rodrigo arrived late to thump a header over the bar. He couldn’t quite get over the ball but it was a fine piece of play.
7.42am EST 07:42
43 min “Crying Giancarlo here,” greets Giancarlo Sandoval. “I think it was definitely and ‘old school penalty’ where the striker sells minimum contact in order for the referee to buy it. Theoretically, those would have to be wiped away by VAR, but I’m puzzled as to why the referee didn’t go look. It would have been a 15-minute look, but it wouldn’t have been a pen, I think.”
By 2025, they’ll be reviewing throw-ins. And there will be a smart speaker that gives you an authentic VAR experience. It’ll sense when you’re on the cusp of orgasm, and at that precise moment it will start playing your mother’s voice.
Updated at 7.43am EST
7.40am EST 07:40
40 min Alioski’s long pass skims off the head of the backpedalling Mee and runs through to Raphinha. He slides a low first-time shot that is comfortably saved by Pope, low to his right. Raphinha might have done better there.
7.39am EST 07:39
39 min Another corner to Burnley. Westwood swings it in and Meslier does well to punch clear under pressure. Leeds break and Harrison makes a mess of an attempted through pass. Had he got it right, Leeds would have had three on one.
Updated at 7.39am EST
7.38am EST 07:38
38 min You know who’d like VAR? Walter Sobchak. (NB: Clips contains adult language, blah de blah)
7.37am EST 07:37
37 min A Burnley corner is only half cleared. The ball is dumped back in the box towards Pieters, whose volley hits Benson and goes wide. I don’t think it would have beaten Meslier anyway.
7.36am EST 07:36
36 min This is a good spell for Burnley. The folks at Stockley Park must be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of Burnley scoring another goal with which they can find fault.
7.34am EST 07:34
33 min: Chance for Wood! Westwood stands up a terrific cross from the right wing. Meslier comes and gets nowhere near it, but Wood heads over from a few yards. Ayling did just enough to put Wood off and ensure he couldn’t get over the ball.
Burnley’s Chris Wood misses a chance to score. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Reuters
Updated at 7.41am EST
7.33am EST 07:33
32 min That Carlos Alberto goal in the 1970 World Cup final looked great, sure, but there was an unspotted foul on Sandro Mazzola four minutes earlier, so I’m afraid it’s got to go.
7.31am EST 07:31
31 min: Chance for Leeds! Mee, who is having a mini-shocker, is robbed by Raphinha. He scurries into the error, resists Mee’s recovery challenge and picks Harrison at the far post. He hits a low shot is blocked by … Bamford. I thought Pope saved it but replays show it hit Bamford in the six-yard box and rebounded away from goal.
7.30am EST 07:30
30 min Dallas is warned for an ankle tap on Pieters. He might have been booked. Maybe we should go to Stockley Park to see what they think, and whether they can find any reasons why Maradona’s second goal against England in 1986 should be retrospectively chalked off.
7.28am EST 07:28
29 min “Don’t think VAR could do anything about Burnley’s disallowed goal as the ref blew his whistle before it crossed the line!” says Andrew. “It could of course have awarded a penalty though…”
Good point, I thought he’d blown the whistle afterwards. It probably was a penalty, too – he basically kneed Mee in the back. Absolute shambles.
Updated at 7.29am EST