Key events
46 mins: After Goodrham and Gnonto get tangled up in midfield, Leeds break away through Solomon, who looks to jet-heel past Long down the right – but the defender doesn’t rush out, instead shepherding the ball out of play.
44 mins: Can Oxford cause their opponents any trouble before half-time? There’ll be three added minutes.
43 mins: Piroe unwittingly gets in the way of Gnonto’s attempted through ball to end a promising Leeds attack.
40 mins: Eek, this is a bit of a nasty one – Placheta stretches for the ball but kicks the onrushing Ampadu in the head. It looked accidental, and Ampadu is not badly hurt – but he can’t really complain about the yellow card that comes his way.
38 mins: This has felt more like a Cup tie than a league game, with underdogs Oxford a little unsure what to do now that Leeds have gone in front.
36 mins: Leeds have gone ahead in 48 Championship matches under Daniel Farke, and are yet to lose from a winning position. Oxford have a corner, and a chance to shake up that statistic – but Faulks’ shot is blocked and Placheta’s effort from the rebound is also into a crowd of Leeds players.
35 mins: Oxford win a free kick in Leeds territory, but are penalised for unnecessary jostling as the ball floats in.
GOAL! Oxford 0-1 Leeds (Solomon 32′)
Leeds had started to work out the best way through this Oxford defence, and they do so in devastating fashion here. Bogle surges forward to connect with a diagonal ball, and with options in the middle, picks out Manor Solomon at the far post, who applies the net-slapping finish.
30 mins: Close! Leeds are capable of going through the gears quickly, and a long ball from Ampadu (I think) sees Solomon race past Long down the left. His cross evades the keeper but is cleared away by a defender with Piroe waiting to tap in.
28 mins: We’re seeing Kluivert Sr because Vaulks has gone down injured, and needs a few moments to recover. Gary Rowett takes the opportunity to have a word with his other players.
25 mins: Patrick Kluivert, the Indonesia manager, is in the crowd tonight – and hoping to get a look at substitute striker Ole Romeny.
23 mins: Solomon has a yard of space on the left to either cross or have a shot from an angle – but Long gets back to block his effort, and the corner doesn’t come to anything.
21 mins: Leeds, who are defending the car-park end of this ground, have to back-pedal as Goodrham breaks away. Oxford decide to be patient and keep ball for a moment, a spell which ends when Goodrham can’t keep a long pass in play down the left.
20 mins: Tanaka’s shot is blocked acrobatically by Vaulks, with the thud of leather on thigh heard around the three sides of the Kassam Stadium.
18 mins: Placheta’s daisy-cutter from 20 yards is collected comfortably by Karl Darlow.
16 mins: Save! Aaronson links up with Piroe to unlock the Oxford defence, then fires low across Jamie Cumming, who gets down smartly to turn it away. Firpo collects at the byline, but ends up running the ball out of play to the home fans’ collective glee.
15 mins: They almost make it happen here, with Firpo getting forward down the left and crossing low across the six-yard box, just failing to connect with Gnonto at the far post.
14 mins: Daniel Farke is engaged in animated conversation with his assistant. Leeds have struggled to create anything in the early stages.
11 mins: Alex Matos, who’s here on loan from Chelsea, makes another threatening run upfield but is short of attacking support.
9 mins: The Leeds kit colour is ‘noble ink’, according to the Adidas website. So there we have it.
8 mins: Leeds manage to deal with a trademark Will Vaulks long throw, but the hosts have had the better start. Darlow did well to get down to that Brannagan effort, but had Placheta been able to reach the loose ball, it would have gone down as a handling error.
7 mins: He carries it forward and finds Tyler Goodrham, whose cut-back finds Brannagan on the edge of the area. His curling effort is parried by Darlow, and just evades Placheta on the rebound!
5 mins: Leeds are passing the ball around midfield, but Tanaka is robbed by Matos on Oxford’s left …
3 mins: Now Leeds win a corner, which Oxford clear away as far as the halfway line. I’m not sure navy is the right word for this Leeds away kit. Cobalt maybe? Indigo?
1 min: Oxford win a corner almost immediately, and it’s flicked on by Long at the near post. Harris nearly connects in the middle, but is flagged offside. Still, an early sign of what the hosts can do at set-pieces.
Kick off
Peep! Here we go, then. Leeds, making their first-ever visit to the Kassam Stadium, are in their navy third kit.
Gary Rowett: “Having won against Sheffield United, another top, top team, it gives us confidence, but this is a very different test. It’s a question of ‘how do you stop them?’” On survival: “We’ll keep going until it’s done. We’ve come too far to let it slip now.”
Daniel Farke: “Gary’s sides are very well-structured, very pragmatic – it’s always pretty complicated against his teams. We are aware it’ll be a difficult challenge. We’ll focus on what we can influence, our own performance. We are focused, not nervous.”
Relegation battle: here are the bottom five’s remaining fixtures.
Hull (45pts) Preston (H), Derby (H), Portsmouth (A)
Derby (43) West Brom (H), Hull (A), Stoke (H)
Luton (43) Bristol City (H), Coventry (H), West Brom (A)
Cardiff (42) Oxford (H), West Brom (H), Norwich (A)
Plymouth (40) Coventry (H), Preston (A), Leeds (H)
The playoff race: Sunderland (76pts) are guaranteed a playoff place, while Bristol City and Coventry have the edge in the race with Middlesbrough for the final two top-six spots. West Brom and Millwall are in with an outside chance of making it in, and the Baggies could play a big part in deciding who goes down to League One.
Bristol City (67pts) Luton (A), Leeds (A), Preston (H)
Coventry (66) Plymouth (A), Luton (A), Boro (H)
Middlesbrough (63) Sheff Wed (A), Norwich (H), Coventry (A)
West Brom (60) Derby (H), Cardiff (A), Luton (H)
Millwall (60) Norwich (H), Swansea (H), Burnley (A)
Title race run-in: Let’s have a look at the remaining games for the top three. If Burnley beat Sheffield United at home on Monday, they’ll be promoted; any other result and things could get complicated.
Burnley (91pts): Sheffield United (H), QPR (A), Millwall (H)
Leeds (88): Oxford (A), Stoke (H), Bristol City (H), Plymouth (A)
Sheffield Utd (86): Burnley (A), Stoke (A), Blackburn (H)
Full time: Sheffield United 2-0 Cardiff City
Goals in each half from Gustavo Hamer and Ben Brereton Díaz get the Blades back to winning ways, and two points behind Leeds in second place. As for Cardiff, they’re second-bottom on 42 points and are running out of games to get out of trouble.
No changes from Daniel Farke from the side that saw off Preston at home last Saturday, while Oxford make two changes from the team that won at Sheffield Wednesday. Poland international Przemyslaw Placheta replaces Stanley Mills on the right, with Mark Harris starting up front in place of Tom Bradshaw.
At Bramall Lane, Sheffield United have just gone 2-0 up at home to Cardiff, Ben Brereton Díaz the man on target. Chris Wilder’s side will move two points behind Leeds, and just turn up the pressure a notch before kick-off at the Kassam.
Team news
Oxford United (4-2-3-1): Cumming; Long, Helik, Nelson, Bennett; Brannagan, Vaulks; Placheta, Matos, Goodrham; Harris.
Subs: Ingram, Phillips, Romeny, El Mizouni, Rodrigues, Leigh, Kioso, Bradshaw, Mills.
Leeds United (4-2-3-1): Darlow; Bogle, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Tanaka, Gruev; Gnonto, Aaronson, Solomon; Piroe.
Subs: Meslier, Byram, Schmidt, Wober, Guilavogui, James, Ramazani, Joseph, Bamford.
Referee: Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire)
Preamble
It’s a marathon, not a sprint – but this season’s Championship promotion race has felt more like an Ironman endurance battle, an initial pack of four teams eventually shedding Sunderland, with Leeds wobbling dramatically before Sheffield United took an unexpected spill. The Blades are in action at home to Cardiff right now, and still have to visit leaders Burnley on Easter Monday.
For Leeds, the equation is simple enough. Despite a run of one victory in six after winning at Bramall Lane in February, wins over Middlesbrough and Preston have given Daniel Farke’s side a priceless advantage in the top-two race; with four games to go, they just need to keep winning and put the permutations aside.
Tonight’s opponents, Oxford United, are on the fringes of the relegation battle, kicking off here five points clear of danger. Gary Rowett’s side are a tough proposition at home, where they have earned 10 of their 12 league wins this season. It was their 1-0 win over Sheffield United that kickstarted the Blades’ slide; can they put another spanner in the works here tonight? Kick-off is at 8pm, BST.
