Leeds’ 4-3 win at the Riverside Stadium could prove to be one of their most consequential of the season as fading hopes of automatic promotion were renewed on Teesside.
A Crysencio Summerville brace, in addition to finishes from Patrick Bamford and Willy Gnonto helped Leeds to their 27th league victory of the season, taking the team onto 90 points and back up into second place after 44 games played.
Leeds went in at the break 3-2 up after an enthralling opening 45 minutes but did not have a grip on the flow of the game, which took on something of a chaotic, end-to-end complexion. Firpo says his manager decided to tweak the team’s approach at the beginning of the second half, to bait Middlesbrough into advanced areas of Leeds’ half before hitting the Riversiders with a counter-attack.
“When we came in at half-time we said that we will defend with a low block and we will take advantage of the counter-attack, we are the better team doing the counter-attacks,” the defender told reporters at full-time. “We have a lot of pace, we have really good players up front, when you have those guys up front I think it’s a really, really good advantage.”
