Key events
84 min This is a stinker of a result for Leeds, whose next game is at home to Liverpool. Palace, by contrast, have an easy run-in and are six points clear of the relegation place. I’m not saying they can’t go down – we all remember 1992-93 – but it would be a pretty sizeable shock.
82 min Rutter goes down in the area after a challenge from Milivojevic, but nobody is interested.
81 min: Palace substitutions James McArthur, Luka Milivojevic and Jean-Philippe Mateta replace Ayew, Schlupp and Doucoure.
79 min: Leeds substitution Georginio Rutter replaces Patrick Bamford, whose goal seems a long, long time ago.
79 min It took an age for VAR to confirm that goal, even though it was obvious to the naked eye that Ayew was onside. Anyway.
Will Hughes’ shot from the edge of the D was blocked, with the ball dribbling through to the unmarked Ayew on the penalty spot. He looked like he thought he was offside, but swept the ball over Meslier just in case. The flag stayed down, and replays showed Kristensen was playing him onside. Palace lead 5-1!
GOAL! Leeds 1-5 Crystal Palace (Ayew 77)
And that’s Blockbusters.
77 min What a weird game this has been. Leeds were so impressive for the first half an hour or so, but since half-time they have been a minor shambles.
76 min Meslier, caught in no man’s land, eventually does well to dive at Ayew’s feet and push the ball away.
75 min There’s a huge game at Anfield this afternoon. Daniel Harris has the team news ahead of Liverpool v Arsenal.
74 min: Substitution for Palace Will Hughes replaces Odsonne Edouard.
72 min Roca is annoyed after being penalised for a follow through on Edouard. Leeds look confused, frustrated and not a little hacked off.
Palace make it four with a devastating counter-attack. Ebere Eze, who is having a storming game, led a four-on-two break, running 60 yards before guiding the ball to Edouard on the left side of the area. He took a touch and rammed a low shot into the far corner with his left foot. What an emphatic finish.
GOAL! Leeds 1-4 Crystal Palace (Edouard 69)
Oh my word!
69 min Finally a bit of pressure from Leeds. Rodrigo’s clever reverse pass finds Bamford in the area, but Mitchell does really well to dispossess him. There’s an appeal for handball but there was nothing in it.
69 min These are the two quickfire goals that have put Palace in charge of this match.
67 min Rodrigo tries to release Gnonto on the left but overhits the pass for a goalkick.
64 min The atmosphere is really flat now, certainly by Elland Road standards, and Palace are managing the game comfortably.
61 min “Palace playing better than Chelsea…” says Jeff Sax. “Hodgson definitely can help there.”
60 min: Triple substitution for Leeds Rodrigo, Rasmus Kristensen and Wilfried Gnoto replace Aaronson, Sinisterra and Firpo.
59 min Leeds look shellshocked. No surprise, really: they were well on top for most of the first half, and now they are 3-1 down.
58 min When Ebere Eze is good, he is seriously good.
57 min At the age of 75, Roy Hodgson – the high priest of Two Banks of Four – is having an epiphany: Palace have scoroed five in 150 minutes since he returned, and it should have been a lot more.
Eze, just inside the Leeds half, swept the ball out to Olise and charged towards the penalty area. Olise waited, waited a bit longer and then guided a perfect return pass into the area. Eze didn’t have to break stride and poked the ball under Meslier from eight yards. That’s a lovely goal.
GOAL! Leeds 1-3 Crystal Palace (Eze 55)
Ebere Eze scores a brilliant goal to put Palace 3-1 up!
Olise, on the right, teased Struijk and then flipped a lovely cross towards the far post. Ayew got in front of Ayling, who was sleeping, and powered a header that the diving Meslier could only help into the net. That’s a very good finish.
GOAL! Leeds 1-2 Crystal Palace (Ayew 53)
It’s been coming!
52 min Olise moves elegantly away from Struijk and lifts a dangerous cross that is flicked across the six-yard box by the head of Edouard. That looked like a chance. Palace have started the second half brilliantly.
50 min Ward is booked for a hefty challenge on Bamford. He’s shocked by the decision, because he won the ball, but his studs scraped Bamford’s shin in the follow through.
48 min Doucoure’s cross is punched away bravely by Meslier, who is clattered by the diving Schlupp a split-second later. They’re both okay.
47 min Ayling dives in and is beaten easily by Ayew, who moves into the area and pokes a cutback that is put behind by Koch.
46 min Peep peep! Patrick Bamford begins the second half.
Half-time reading
Half time: Leeds 1-1 Crystal Palace
It’s all square after an interesting first half at Elland Road. Patrick Bamford gave Leeds a deserved lead with an expert header, but Palace – helped by some excellent goalkeeping from Sam Johnstone – stayed in the game and equalised on the stroke of half-time through Marc Guehi.
Eze’s free-kick from the right hit the shoulder of Schlupp, who missed an attempted header, and looped into the six-yard box. Guehi reacted really smartly to beat the diving Meslier to the ball and cushion a volley into the net. There’s a VAR check for offside, but he’s fine and the goal stands.
GOAL! Leeds 1-1 Crystal Palace (Guehi 45+1)
Palace have been a threat at set-pieces, and now they’re level.
44 min Firpo is booked for a foul on Olise, who curls the resulting free-kick straight down Meslier’s throat.
43 min “I agree that Leeds are fun,” says Kári Tulinius. “They aren’t the what-am-I-even-seeing psychedelic spectacle of the Bielsa years, but neither are they the I-have-had-too-much-coffee stomach churning Marsch experience. Gracia has managed to retain the directness in attack with a more measured approach to defending.”
42 min Olise runs onto a neat return pass from Eze but then, under pressure from a defender, pokes tamely through to Meslier. Wasn’t much of a chance.
40 min: Another good save by Johnstone! Aaronson’s excellent free-kick from deep on the right is met by Struijk at the near post, 12 yards out. His flicked header – not dissimilar to Bamford’s goal – is pawed away to his right by the diving Johnstone.
38 min Johnstone dashes from his line to beat Sinisterra to Roca’s clever scooped pass.
37 min The impressive Aaronson finds space between the lines and gives the ball to Harrison. His cross is booted clear. To be honest this entry is just an excuse to point out that Aaronson has played really well as the No10.
34 min Olise’s outswinging corner is headed across goal and just wide by Guehi. That was a pretty decent chance, though he had to fight to get to the ball ahead of Koch.
33 min Eze flicks a nice pass through to Edouard in the inside-left channel. His shot is blocked by Koch – a real-life Koch block – and then Schlupp wins a corner.
32 min It’s a more even game now, and actually Palace have had slightly more of the ball in this first half. But the shots on target tell a more accurate story: Leeds 6-1 Palace.
31 min “Bamford celebrations,” begins Jeremy Boyce. “I think that they are all overjoyed that he’s finally scored a ‘proper’ goal, not a pen, or something that went in off his arse. The only way is up!”
Yeah, I think I got a bit carried away, though it was still a well-worked goal. And you’d have to be quite the Livia Soprano figure not to wish Bamford well.
