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Leeds United 2 - 0 Blackpool: Whites Improve to Topple Tangerines

Goals from David Norris and Steve Morison helped Leeds pick up a vital three points and ease the pressure surrounding the club.

Tim Keeton

This week's journey to the ground was eased with the news that Neil Warnock had finally shuffled his pack in midfield.

Kenny returned in goal, Green and Tonge were also in the team in place of Austin and Brown and Norris was back in the heart of midfield.

With an improved crowd thanks to the cheaper tickets, United started the game under floodlights with the crowd behind them.

It was a bright start and Luke Varney had two early shots when he linked up well with McCormack and Morison on either side of the box.

Leeds looked dangerous with Varney, Morison and McCormack swapping roles and attacking both through the middle and on the flanks.

Morison was next to go close and his deflected effort almost found McCormack who somehow missed the ball as he came sprinting in from the right-hand side.

As United failed to find the net, Blackpool began to creep back into the encounter. Leeds were sitting off and allowing Blackpool to pass - more importantly to Tom Ince.

Ince was finding space on the left-wing and in the middle and Paddy Kenny had to be alert to parry his shot. The game began to open up and both sides went close. For the Whites - McCormack just missed the post with a neat half-volley and Kenny pulled off a brilliant save to deny Sylvestre.

United then went close again with Varney but Morison's cross was just too high for the former Blackpool man and he got under his header which sailed into the South Stand.

At the half-time whistle the fans in the Kop seemed content with the first-half performance and were looking forward to the second-half, mainly because it was freezing and the quicker we got home the better.

Varney once again showed his pace earlier in the second-half and deserved better when a chipped through ball bounced nicely and his right-footed shot clipped the outside of the post.

It seemed like a goal was never going to come but eventually the home side broke the deadlock thanks to a well-placed Norris effort. A cross from the right-hand side of the box, found its way to Norris who calmly placed the ball past a crowd of bodies into the bottom corner.

Warnock's men continued to push for another and after some more excellent wing-play Morison grabbed his first for the club. The striker remained calm and Gilks committed himself in the Blackpool goal before Morison curled it into the net.

United took their foot of the gas and Blackpool went close from a free-kick but the Whites did enough to hold on for all three points and take the pressure of Neil Warnock.

It was a deserved win and the same team needs to start the game versus Blackburn. The back four were solid and efficient, the midfield four worked their nuts off and Morison showed some good movement before showing his lack of match fitness towards the end.

The ticket system worked and 25,532 is an excellent standard for a midweek game.

Onwards and upwards to the Blackburn game, on on on!