Five interesting stats from Leeds 2-0 Reading as war of words continues

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Leeds beat Reading in midweek with minimal possession.

Leeds United’s win over Reading in midweek saw them gain three points on the Royals in the play-off race, and it was certainly a quirky match at Elland Road.

After the game we reported how Leeds won the match with just 27 per cent possession, while Reading managed 440 passes in their own half compared to the home side’s 85.

Reading manager Jaap Stam

The contrasting approach saw a war of words break out between managers Jaap Stam and Garry Monk, with the Leeds boss yesterday telling the Yorkshire Evening Post at his press conference that he was embarrassed for his Reading counterpart, after the Dutchman had called out the Elland Road crowd for labelling his side boring.

Here is a look at five more interesting statistics from the game which demonstrate Reading’s very different game plan.

1) Look back

Reading were happy to bide their time and be patient, and this involved moving the ball towards their own goal.

They made more than three times the number of backwards passes as Leeds United.

2) Lump it long

Stam’s side were not afraid to mix it up despite their conservative game plan.

They played almost double the number of long balls as Leeds did, as they sought to bypass midfield and get the ball up to their strikers.

Souleymane Doukara scores the second goal for Leeds United from a penalty

3) How many?

Reading managed a whopping 876 touches in the match against Leeds.

To have this many and still not manage to score is quite an achievement, and not something for Stam’s side to be proud of.

4) For all their possession and high number of touches, Reading managed to create only nine chances compared to Leeds’ seven.

5) The four players to touch the ball the most? Reading’s back four.

The highest amount of touches made by a Leeds United player was left-back Charlie Taylor, who won the late penalty.

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