Promotion rivals Burnley and Leeds take cold comfort in tense draw
Promotion rivals Burnley and Leeds take cold comfort in tense draw
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For generations to come in Lancashire and Yorkshire thousands will tell people “I was there” to see the match where the least action in the history of football took place. Burnley and Leeds are supposed to be fighting for promotion but they produced a solitary shot on target between them in a desperate goalless draw.
![[Ao Tanaka of Leeds and Burnley’s Bashir Humphreys battle for the ball.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4812f564ba7f673eaff817174a2d817c5eeddec5/0_83_2738_1643/master/2738.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Third-placed Burnley collected their seventh clean sheet in a row in the Championship, while Leeds moved a further point clear at the top of the table. Arguably the result suited both parties but arduous viewing on an extremely cold night at Turf Moor.
When the best defence in the league comes up against the most prolific attack, the style of the fixture is somewhat predictable. Burnley were happy to absorb pressure and try to break when the opportunity arose, while Leeds were more proactive in their outlook, desperate to test a team that had conceded nine goals in 28 games prior to kick-off.
There was plenty in the way of examination from Leeds’ front four as they buzzed around the final third looking to find a gap. They pressurised the Burnley backline but they stood up to it and James Trafford was not called into action in the early stages. The goalkeeper’s first notable involvement was highlighting the conditions when a goal-kick was taken by the wind straight to his opposite number, Illan Meslier.
Burnley had scored once in their previous four games before thrashing Plymouth 5-0 in midweek. They had reverted to type and had no obvious plan of how to break through Leeds, relying on their wide players but their efforts were unrewarded as the central striker, Zian Flemming, is normally a winger and was unable to compete aerially, allowing the visitors to clear with ease.
