It's hard to say whether the Leeds versus Middlesbrough game was uninspired or legendary. There was two top of the league teams who could have taken a solid early lead with a win. Neither managed to scoop up three points, and not a single goal was scored. Still, there was plenty of grit from both sides. It was a game that was hard to call from the beginning and could have gone either way right up until the end. Still, the game finished as an uneventful 0-0 draw. It wasn't the most astounding of games, but it was high-spirited with a fair outcome.
Leeds vs Middlesbrough
Leeds is known as the best attacking team in the English Football League. Middlesbrough, on the other hand, is known as the best team defensively. As expected, Leeds tried to open the game from the offset, pushing up with their usual fast-paced passing. The only problem was the Boro soaked up the pressure like a sponge and responded with attacking play in kind.
It was Middlesbrough midfielder Jonny Howson who was first to let off a real shot. His curling effort in the 24th minute forced Bailey Peacock-Farrell to make a grasping save to hammer away the ball. Then Liam Cooper was wrestled down by Aden Flint in the buildup to the shot, which should have resulted in a penalty, but the referee saw nothing.
Leeds responded quickly at the other end. Their golden opportunity of the game came in the 30th minute with a powerful header from Luke Ayling, which was carried off the line by the Boro goalkeeper Darren Randolph.
The pace was much slower in the second half of the game. Leeds was still battling for the win, but there seemed to be more cautious in their play too as if they were also resisting the disaster of a loss. There were few chances from either side up until the closing moments of the match. A stunning header from Daniel Ayala forced another save out of Peacock-Farrell in the last minute of the second half while a Barry Douglas free kick in a dangerous position was easily saved by Randolph to stop Leeds from gaining a late winner. The final score: 0-0.
Game Analysis
In some ways, Leeds dominated the game. They held 62 percent of possession and had a couple more shots — 11 in total to Middlesbrough's 9 shots. Still, the Boro held off Leeds from the beginning, allowing them little space and not much opportunity to turn on their usual attacking style. Though the stats suggest the game belonged to Leeds, the outcome was fair enough.
Though exciting at times, long periods of the game were a little tedious. Real chances came from Howson's curling shot for Boro, and Ayling's header for Leeds. With both teams managing only three shots on target, and neither managing to put a goal away, the action lacked punch, but the even-sided nature of the game was still joyful to watch. The action was broken at times by the 17 fouls that occurred throughout the scrappy match, ruining the flow of the game, but all-in-all, it showed that both teams are in the title race this season and that one of them might go on to win.
Impact on the Title Race
Leeds and Middlesbrough are the two teams set on winning the EFL Championship race this season. And both have equal odds of winning the competition (at the time of writing) at 4/1. West Brom and Brentford have also been noted by bookies and pundits to be worthy of promotion. It's a race that stands out as a close one to call. Online gaming site Full Tilt even has a game called Live Football Studio, which offers 50/50 odds between the teams on the draw of a card. It's that hard to call the difference between Leeds and the Boro this season.
With the clash between the two sides resulting in a 0-0 draw, both teams add just a single point to their mighty early-season tallies and are equal in the league with 14 points each after 6 games. However, Leeds is currently ahead on the goal difference. Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds has scored at least twice in their first five league games and are showing a strong pressing and attacking style.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough has achieved a different kind of result so far, with a total of five clean sheets in their first six games of the season. They are becoming known as a solid defensive squad who are also capable of scoring goals and are in serious contention for the title. It's early days yet, but so far, it's too close between the two teams, both in class and results.
