Leeds United 2, Brighton 1: The Whites Strike Late to Steal 3 Points

Leeds United started the season in fine form with a 2-1 victory against Brighton. So I have scribbled down a few words to review the match and look ahead to the rest of the season. A season that fans will be hoping to be successful.

The result means that Leeds have now won on the opening day in eight of their last 10 seasons. It’s the sort of start to a new season that could spur the club on to the success that the massive fanbase craves.

However, it could have been all so different after Brighton took the lead after just 13 minutes. And the Whites must have been fearing the worst when they saw Jose Ulloa’s strike hitting the back of the net.

Thoughts would have then been turning to Brighton’s good recent record against Leeds over the last two seasons, as I highlighted in my preview. But maybe the 2013-14 season doesn’t have to be one of disappointment for the club. Manager Brian McDermott seems to have installed resilience and positivity to the side—the sort of qualities that enabled him to get his Reading side out of this division.

One player whom the club might be turning towards for goals this season is Ross McCormack. The Scottish striker has had a mixed time in the Championship with both Cardiff and Leeds, where he has shown a combination of prolific goalscoring and disappointing finishing. Last season, he scored only five goals in the league, so will be hoping for better luck in this campaign.

He got off to the best possible start, with an equalising goal in the first half.

Leeds had created the better opportunities in the game, but as the minutes ticked on, it began to look like Brighton would be receiving a point for their efforts. But summer signing Luke Murphy finished from close range in the closing minutes to secure the win.

Murphy is a product of the famous Crewe Alexandra youth system, and Leeds fans will be hoping that they have picked up a gem of a player. And at just 23, he may well prove that to be the case over the course of the season.

Fans will be hoping that this will finally be their year, and they have certainly made the best possible start to turn that into a reality.

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