Nathan Broadhead netted in injury time to pull Town back to 3-2 at half-time after a rip-roaring first period at Portman Road. A Joe Rodon own goal gave Town the lead on seven but the Blues found themselves 3-1 behind following goals from Georginio Rutter, Wilfried Gnonto and Joel Piroe on 10, 14 and 19 before Broadhead’s late second for the Blues.

Harry Clarke and Kayden Jackson came into the Town team as Janoi Donacien and George Hirst missed out.

Clarke started at right-back for Donacien, who suffered a groin strain at QPR last week, while Jackson was the main striker with Hirst missing out with an adductor issue.

Otherwise, the Blues were unchanged from the team which won 1-0 at Loftus Road last week with new loan addition Brandon Williams among the subs.

For Leeds, new signing Piroe started, while Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra were back in the XI having returned to the fold this week having agitated for a move and due to a contractual legal issue respectively.

Leeds began the game seeing more of the ball and looking for openings but with the Town backline making a couple of vital interceptions.

On six, the Blues threatened for the first time, Jackson and Broadhead exchanging passes before the striker’s cross back to the Welshman was under-hit and was intercepted.

But a minute later, Town did take the lead. Jackson was sent away down the left by Leif Davis and his low cross was turned in at the near post by Rodon.

The Blues weren’t far from a second in the ninth minute, Davis breaking away down the left against his old club and sending over a low cross which reached Wes Burns but Sam Byram turned it behind as the Wales international looked to shoot.

It had been a frantic start and in the 10th minute Leeds levelled, Rutter turning and taking the ball into the area on the right and holding off challenges before hitting a low shot into the net off the inside of the far post. Burgess and Morsy maintained a lengthy dialogue regarding how the goal came about while the Whites celebrated.

Only four minutes later, the visitors went in front. Byram crossed from the left after a lengthy spell of Leeds possession and Gnonto nipped in between Vaclav Hladky and Burgess at the far post to stick a leg out to turn it home.

And in the 19th minute, Leeds increased their lead, Luis Sinisterra cutting in from the left past Clarke before hitting a shot which Hladky couldn’t hold and debutant Piroe tapped home from six yards.

It had been a remarkable opening period to the game and the action and chances continued.

In the 21st minute, Burns cut across from the right and Jackson flicked across the face but wide. Broadhead picked up the loose ball and laid it back to Massimo Luongo on the penalty spot and the Australian hit a low shot which was blocked on the line by Byram.

As the Blues prepared to take the corner, Leeds were forced into a change, Byram making way for Cody Drameh.

Town reacted well to conceding three times and went looking to pull one back, Jackson forcing Leeds keeper Illan Meslier to push his shot from the edge of the box wide.

On 32, Clarke sent Burns away on the right and the Welshman sent over a low cross which was bundled behind ahead of Jackson by sub Drameh.

Town continued to see a lot of the ball with the Leeds defence looking far from impenetrable, but with the Whites looking likely to score a fourth whenever they were in the final third, Sinisterra Gnonto, Rutter and Piroe having caused the Blues’ backline more problems than any attacking unit during Kieran McKenna’s time at the club.

In the 41st minute, Burns, who had been found in space on a number of occasions on the right, was sent away but Drameh slid in as the former Fleetwood man shaped to shoot.

Town continued to threaten and in the 44th minute, Broadhead brought the ball to the edge of the box before hitting a low shot just wide to Meslier’s right.

As the half moved into six additional minutes, the Blues worked the ball from left to right, Conor Chaplin teeing-up Burns, who scraped his shot well wide.

Four minutes into injury time, Gnonto brought the ball in from the left but sent the ball high and wide into the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.

Skipper Morsy, making his 500th career appearance, was booked just before the break for a trip on Whites youngster Archie Gray.

Seconds before the whistle ended a remarkable half, the Blues pulled a goal back. Jackson used his pace to beat Meslier to Drameh’s backpass but was forced wide on the right. However, the Bradford-born frontman picked out Broadhead, who found the net off a defender.

The end of a topsy-turvy brilliant half was greeted by a huge roar from the Town support, sensing that their side had got themselves firmly back into a pulsating game.

Having gone ahead through Rodon’s own goal, the Blues might have gone 2-0 up via Burns’s chance but were then repeatedly cut apart by the Leeds frontmen and found themselves 3-1 down.

But there was no panic despite the rarity of the position and Town played themselves back into the match and had had chances before Broadhead’s goal.

It would be a huge surprise if there weren’t further goals - probably at both ends - during the second half.

Town: Hladky, Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Jackson. Subs: Slicker, Edmundson, Evans, Ladapo, Harness, Ball, Taylor, Williams, Hutchinson.

Leeds: Meslier, Ayling (c), Ampadu, Piroe, Rodon, Struijk, Gray, Sinisterra, Rutter, Byram (Drameh 24), Gnonto. Subs: Darlow, Cresswell, Summerville, Shackleton, Gyabi, Greenwood, Gelhardt, Hjelde. Referee: Bobby Madley (West Yorkshire).

Photo: Matchday Images

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