Leeds United beat Preston North End 4-1 at Deepdale this afternoon.
Leeds United made it eight wins from the last ten Championship games, as they beat Preston North End 4-1 at Deepdale this afternoon.
The Whites travelled to Lancashire for their Boxing Day clash having picked up home wins over Reading and Brentford, and were looking for another victory to remain in the top six of the Championship table.
Leeds United manager Gary Monk
Garry Monk’s side were superb at Deepdale, with Kemar Roofe putting Leeds in front with a back post header from Pontus Jansson’s header across goal, before the Whites tore through the Preston defence with Hadi Sacko exchanging passes with Roofe before slamming past Chris Maxwell to make it 2-0.
Preston did hit back as Marnick Vermijl smashed home from the edge of the box after Simon Makienok’s knock-down, but Leeds restored their two-goal lead before the break as Souleymane Doukara’s shot squirmed through Maxwell and just over the line.
Leeds United’s Hadi Sacko celebrates scoring with Kemar Roofe
North End improved in the early stages of the second half, but Jermaine Beckford was sent off just five minutes after coming on as a substitute, and Pablo Hernandez’s smart finish sealed the win with a late fourth.
Leeds remain fifth after teams above them also won, but they lie five points inside the top six, and are currently looking like a solid bet for a play-off place – particularly with players like Rooe now hitting top form.
Roofe, 23, was a summer signing from Oxford United, cost Leeds £3million (BBC Sport), and whilst he struggled initially, he is really starting to prove his quality for the Whites, having notched one goal and two assists against Preston.
After the final whistle, Leeds fans took to Twitter to rave about Roofe’s performance, stating that he ‘came of age’ against Preston, and has been excellent in a number of games, bringing goals, assists and speed to the Leeds attack.
Other supporters suggested that Pablo Hernandez will find it hard to get back into the Leeds side with Roofe playing as he is, and praised Monk for having patience with his big-money summer signing.
Here are some of the reactions from Leeds fans after Roofe’s performance against Preston…
What did you think of Roofe’s performance against Preston?
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