Leeds came from behind to beat the Blues 2-1 and inflict Town’s first home defeat of the season. David McGoldrick put the Blues ahead with his first goal of the season during a dominant opening spell but the Whites hit back via Luke Varney and Ross McCormack either side of half-time to win at Portman Road for the first time since September 2001.
Mick McCarthy named an unchanged side with midfielder Cole Skuse over his Achilles’ injury. Second-choice keeper Dean Gerken’s return after a dead leg was the only change on the bench with 17-year-old Michael Crowe dropping out.
Leeds made one change from the side which drew 1-1 at home to Sheffield Wednesday last week with Noel Hunt replacing youngster Dominic Poleon.
Town started brightly as persistent drizzle fell steadily, Aaron Cresswell hitting a low shot through to Paddy Kenny in the fifth minute, then Tabb turned a loose ball home after the former Tranmere man had crossed from the left, but with the linesman’s flag having been raised.
The Blues went ahead in the 12th minute via McGoldrick’s first goal of the season. The striker latched on to Murphy’s flick and took the ball past Tom Lees, who lost his footing on the slippery surface, before hitting a low strike beyond Kenny from the edge of the area and into the net.
Leeds looked to hit straight back, central defender Jason Pearce, a Town target in his Portsmouth days, diverting a corner from the left well over.
There was a scare for the visitors in the 15th minute when Carlos Edwards’s mis-hit corner from the left bounced across the six-yard box, Lees doing well to put it over his own bar.
Town continued to press in a very one-sided opening to the game. On 19 Skuse won a tackle not far outside the Leeds box and fed McGoldrick, whose quick feet saw him into space, but his pass was just beyond Daryl Murphy.
Pearce headed over from a corner in the 22nd minute, but overall Town had dominated the first quarter of the game.
A minute later, Cresswell and McGoldrick combined on the left and the full-back hit a superb strike which cannoned off the corner of bar and post. The rebound was played to Tabb by Edwards and the former Reading man hit a low shot which was only just wide.
At the other end, Hewitt made an important interception from one-time Town target McCormack’s cross from the right, McGoldrick tidily clearing the danger.
On 28 Leeds drew level. Town sat too deep and allowed McCormack to hit a shot which struck Luke Chambers and fell to Varney just inside the area and the former Charlton man slammed a shot past Scott Loach and into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
Although the Blues had been on top for the majority of the half, the Whites had started to come more into the game, although Mick McCarthy will feel it was a poor goal to concede.
McGoldrick hit a low shot to Kenny after brave work from Tabb in the 32nd minute, then shortly afterwards Murphy headed a corner wide at the far post and moments later nodded a cross to Kenny.
There was a scare for the visitors not long before the break when there was a mix-up between Kenny and Pearce on the edge of the area. Murphy looked to get on the ball, which may have struck a Leeds hand as it was cleared, although the protests were mainly from the crowd. Not long after, the whistle went for half-time.
Town had been very much on top in the opening 20 minutes, playing their best football of the season with Cresswell and Skuse outstanding. They fully deserved their lead when it came via McGoldrick’s excellent strike, while the equaliser probably flattered the visitors when it came, although in the closing stages of the half they were much more in the game.
The second period was only four minutes old when Leeds went in front. McCormack brought the ball on from the left and hit a shot which deflected off Skuse and beat the unlucky Loach down to his right.
On 52 Tabb crossed from the left and Hyam flicked a header across the face of goal at the near post. Three minutes later, Leeds skipper Rodolph Austin was booked for a somewhat wild lunge at Cresswell.
Town gradually began to get themselves back on top and in the 62nd minute Skuse found Hewitt with a clever pass, leading to a succession of Blues corners, although without leading to any significant danger.
Varney headed over from a cross from the right in the 64th minute before Paul Anderson replaced Edwards and Ryan Tunnicliffe took over from Tabb.
Town continued to push for the equaliser, Noel Hunt clearing Murphy’s 68th minute header off the line, with his hands according to some, but not referee Dean. The former FIFA official angered home fans moments later when he allowed Kenny to pick up what appeared to be a passback from Austin, albeit one from distance.
The Blues were winning a lot of freekicks 10 or 15 yards from the area, but all too often they came to nothing. In the 74th minute, Cresswell hit a 25-yard strike into the wall, then McGoldrick sent a subsequent effort well over the bar. Moments later, Frank Nouble replaced Murphy.
Loach saved well from Hunt after clever work from Austin on the right, then Paul Green shot into the sidenetting with the visitors looking more likely to add to their lead than Town to pull a goal back.
Hyam shot into the sidenetting after a corner as the game moved into its final 10 minutes with Town still only fleetingly threatening to get back on terms.
Skuse’s 90th minute strike deflected wide, then from the corner Chambers headed into the ground and over.
As the game moved into injury time, Cresswell crossed from the left and Hewitt headed wide at the far post. The Blues won a flurry of late corners but couldn’t turn them into a goal.
On the balance of the first 20 minutes there was only going to be one winner, but after Leeds had equalised and then gone in front soon after the restart, the Blues huffed and puffed but couldn’t replicate that excellent early spell.
Town had a lot of the ball against a determined Leeds side and won a lot of freekicks and Mick McCarthy will be disappointed that his side made so little of them.
As has already been the case on a number of occasions this season, Town failed to kill the game off while they were on top during the first half, then conceded after the opposition came back into the game in the second period.
Town: Loach, Hewitt, Cresswell, Chambers, Smith, Edwards (Anderson 64), Skuse, Murphy (Nouble 74), McGoldrick, Tabb (Tunnicliffe 64), Hyam. Unused: Gerken, Berra, Veseli, Taylor.
Leeds: Kenny, Peltier, Warnock, Lees, Pearce, Murphy, Green, Austin, Hunt (Tonge 85), Varney (Poleon 64), McCormack. Unused: Ashdown, Drury, Smith, Diouf, Wootton. Referee: Mike Dean (the Wirral). Att: 18,322 (Leeds: 1,950).