Leeds United climbed to the summit of the Championship standings for the first time this season following their victory over Millwall at Elland Road.
Wilfried Gnonto put Leeds ahead in spectacular fashion with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box just after the half-hour mark. Despite dominating the first half, Leeds had to wait until the 33rd minute for Gnonto to find the net with a left-footed shot from distance.
In the second half, Georginio Rutter had an opportunity to double Leeds’ lead but saw his shot saved by Lions goalkeeper Matija Sarkic. Rutter’s rebound hit the post after a deflection.
With 11 minutes remaining, substitute Dan James sealed the victory for Leeds with a close-range finish, capitalizing on Rutter’s excellent delivery across the face of the goal.
The result propelled Leeds above Leicester on goal difference, although Leicester had played one fewer game. Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca’s side, Leicester, were not involved in league action over the weekend, having suffered a 4-2 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Millwall, managed by Neil Harris, remained in 16th place, four points clear of relegation, despite seeing their four-game unbeaten run come to an end.
Despite Leeds’ dominance, Millwall’s goalkeeper Sarkic was instrumental in keeping his team in contention, making several impressive saves throughout the match. However, Leeds could have been awarded a penalty when Jake Cooper’s high challenge on Joe Rodon went unpunished by referee Stephen Martin.
Rutter’s quick-fire pair of chances on goal, during which he was denied by Sarkic, was the closest Leeds came to padding out their advantage.
Michael Obafemi did weave his way into the Leeds box as the visitors made a rare foray forward late on, but his solo effort finished with him firing high and wide while under pressure from Ethan Ampadu.
Patrick Bamford also went close at the other end, and would have finished coolly were it not for some impressive defending from Japhet Tanganga.
But James showed composure to confirm the home side’s 12th win in the last 13 games.
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke told BBC Radio Leeds:
“I’m pretty proud of the boys because it was a different challenge. In recent weeks we’ve had to play every two or three days.
“Now we’ve had nine or 10 days between the games, we’re not used to it, so it’s not easy to start such a game against such a competitive side.
“It was two fantastic team goals. Dan James could have scored a few more but it was important not to give anything away, because they are so dangerous. All in all it was a pretty mature performance.”
Millwall head coach Neil Harris told BBC Radio London:
“I thought Leeds deserved to win the game, I thought they were the better team over the 90 minutes.
“We had spells where I was really pleased – the application, attitude, belief of players was really good.
“I thought we stood up to the challenge of Leeds United, not just on the pitch and bench but the fanbase as well.
“My only disappointment is that we conceded goals at poor times, I thought we were on top in both halves when we conceded.”