Town suffered their heaviest defeat of the Kieran McKenna era as they were comfortably beaten 4-0 by Leeds United in this afternoon’s third-v-second clash at Elland Road. Home skipper Pascal Struijk put the Whites ahead with an eighth-minute header, a Leif Davis own goal against his old club put Leeds two in front on 25, before Crysencio Summerville’s penalty just before the whistle made it 3-0 at the break. Seven minutes after the restart, Joel Piroe added a fourth for the Whites, who are now seven points behind the second-placed Blues.
Boss McKenna made one change from the team which drew 2-2 at home with Norwich City last week with Axel Tuanzebe coming in for Luke Woolfenden.
Tuanzebe joined Cameron Burgess at the heart of the defence with Woolfenden dropping to the bench, where there was one further change with Dominic Ball coming in and Dane Scarlett left out of the 20.
Leeds named the same side as drew 1-1 at home to Coventry a week ago but with Ian Poveda and Junior Firpo replacing Jaidon Anthony and Luke Ayling among the subs.
The home side began the game on the front foot but on five Nathan Broadhead did well to find Wes Burns in space on the right but his cross was too long for George Hirst.
However, the Whites tool the lead in the eighth minute. A corner was whipped over from the left, Vaclav Hladky saved Joel Piroe’s header sharply down to his right but home skipper Struijk was there to nod into the empty net.
Town were unhappy with the goal as Conor Chaplin had appeared to have been fouled in the move ahead of the corner, referee Stephen Martin, the official who disallowed Marcus Harness’s goal at home to Barnsley last season, having waved away the forward’s protests.
With their crowd now in full voice, Leeds went looking for a second, counter-attacking after a Blues move had broken down before Dan James shot wide from an angle on the right of the box.
As the game passed the 20-minute mark, the Blues were struggling to get out of their own half with Leeds controlling the game and dominating.
However, on 23, the Blues put together a neatly-worked move from which Broadhead shot just wide of Leeds keeper Illan Meslier’s right post. Chaplin had been kicked up in the air in the build-up by Ethan Ampadu, referee Martin indicating he had played the advantage, with the Wales international fortunate to have avoided a yellow card.
But three minutes later, it was 2-0. Leeds broke with Town having too many men caught up field - again with a suspicion of a foul as the Blues lost the ball - and Summerville got round the outside of Harry Clarke on the left of the box and sent over a low cross which beat Burgess but struck former Leeds man Davis on the shin and bounced over the line.
Town went looking for the goal which would give them a foothold in the match and on 27 they went very close. Davis crossed from the left to Chaplin not far outside the area from where the Blues joint-top scorer struck a shot which beat Meslier to his left but hit the post and bounced away.
Two minutes later, Clarke was shown the game’s first yellow card after the ball caught his arm after it had bounced awkwardly to him as he looked to cut out a through ball for Summerville, who had been the home side’s biggest threat.
On 34, James joined the Town right-back in the book for a foul on Davis as the left-back was bursting from deep on the left.
The Blues’ and Davis’s half got even worse a minute before the scheduled end when the Whites went 3-0 in front via a penalty.
Summerville was played in on the left of the area and Davis upended the Dutch forward. Referee Martin had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and it looked the correct decision.
Summerville took the kick himself and sent it high into the roof of the net to Hladky’s right with the keeper moving to his left.
The half-time whistle was greeted enthusiastically by the home support with their side having dominated and all but won the match in the first half.
The Blues had never been able to get on top during the period with Leeds having got the early goal and then continued to control the game from there, with their goals notably the result directly or indirectly of counter-attacks after Town forays forward had broken down.
Davis was unfortunate with the own goal, but could have little complaint about the penalty.
Three minutes after the restart, Leeds went close to getting their fourth. Piroe was sent away on the right of the box and smashed a shot from a tight angle which beat Hladky but slammed against the underside of the bar, across the six-yard area and away from goal.
The home side had continued the second half as they had ended the first and in the 52nd minute, they made it 4-0.
Tuanzebe and Clarke both failed to clear when they had opportunities to do so as Leeds once again counter-attacked and the ball fell to Piroe just inside the area from where the former Swansea man lashed into the net.
Perhaps looking to do the Blues psychological damage in the battle for automatic promotion, the buoyant Whites continued looking for goals, Archie Gray seeing an effort deflect wide four minutes after the fourth goal.
On the hour, Tuanzebe was booked after he and Summerville tangled as the Leeds wideman burst towards the area on the left. The Whites made their first change as they prepared to take the free-kick, Wilfried Gnonto taking over from James.
In the 65th minute, Broadhead was yellow-carded for a frustrated late foul on Gray after a promising through ball to Hirst had been cut out.
While Gray was undergoing treatment, Town swapped skipper Morsy, who moments earlier had come close to his 10th yellow card of the season for a challenge the referee had harshly deemed a foul, Hirst, Broadhead and Burns for Ball, Kayden Jackson, Marcus Harness and Omari Hutchinson.
Leeds went close to a fifth in the 71st minute when Georginio Rutter hit a 20-yard effort which struck the top of the bar and looped over. Soon after, the Whites switched Djed Spence for Firpo and Glen Kamara for Ilia Gruev.
With the game effectively all over, Leeds fans began to cheer their side’s passes, while the Blues tried to keep looking for a goal but unconvincingly.
Leeds swapped Rutter and Piroe for Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford in the 82nd minute, emphasising the strength in depth the Whites, relegated from the Premier League last season, possess.
Town switched Davis for Brandon Williams for the final six minutes with the former Leeds man, who had been booed by his old supporters earlier in the game, leaving the field on the far side and making his way round the pitch, getting some stick but more applause, which he understatedly acknowledged, as he did so.
As the game entered five minutes of time added on, Ball was booked for a foul in the centre circle when the midfielder looked to have won the ball.
The final minutes were played out without further incident before the home fans’ celebrations began at the whistle.
Town can have no complaints about the result having been well beaten by a Leeds side which was on top from the start with their expensively-assembled front players making the Blues pay, particularly on the counter-attack.
At the other end, Town, who were never in control of the game at any stage, unusually didn’t manage a shot on target with Chaplin’s strike off the woodwork the nearest to a visitors’ goal.
The defeat, the Blues’ first double of the season with only West Brom and Leicester able to repeat the feat, is the first time a McKenna Town team has been beaten by more than two goals, something which itself has only happened three times previously.
But Town, who it shouldn’t be forgotten were two divisions below Leeds last season and have a budget a fraction of the home side’s, remain second in the Championship, still seven points ahead of the Whites as the season reaches its halfway point.
Leaders Leicester, who beat table-propping Rotherham United 3-0 at home later in the afternoon, visit the Blues on Boxing Day with Town hoping to bounce back from today’s disappointment.
Leeds: Meslier, Gray, Spence (Firpo 73), Struijk (c), Rodon, Ampadu, Kamara (Gruev 73), James (Gnoto 61), Summerville, Rutter (Joseph 82), Piroe (Bamford 82). Unused: Darlow, Cooper, Poveda, Gelhardt.
Town: Hladky, Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis (Williams 86), Morsy (c) (Ball 67), Luongo, Burns (Hutchinson 67), Chaplin, Broadhead (Harness 67), Hirst (Jackson 67). Unused: Walton, Woolfenden, Taylor, Ladapo. Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire). Att: 36,758.