Match Recap Leeds 3-0 Preston: Tyler Roberts scores twice as Leeds dominate Preston North End

Leeds United’s Tyler Roberts scored twice in the second half and Leeds stayed on top of the league with another impressive win at home over a struggling Preston side that looked outgunned and out of step for large parts of the match. Liam Cooper opened the scoring in the first half as Leeds won 3-0, but the score easily could have been 5 or 6 for Leeds, such were the chances that were missed. However, another three points are in the bag and Leeds once again will feel confident about their chances going into the weekend’s match against Birmingham City.

Leeds went into the match looking to avenge their only loss in any competition, the 2-0 defeat to Preston in the League Cup. Preston came into the match in the relegation zone, with only five points and having failed to win a game in their last league six matches, with the Lancashire team’s only win coming against Queens Park Rangers in the first match of the season.

Leeds looked a little suspect at the back for the first few minutes of the match as Preston looked to grab some early advantage. A few shots went close, but Bailey Peacock-Farrell and the rest of the defence were up to the challenge, eliminating any real quality chances from doing any damage.

After the first few minutes, however, it seemed as if Leeds turned on a switch. Leeds dominated the rest of the half, with a number of good chances falling to Leeds as the high press and the possession-based Leeds attack.

Leeds were rewarded in the 37th minute as a Barry Douglas corner kick was headed into the goal by Liam Cooper. Cooper’s header wasn’t dealt with properly by the Preston keeper and defender, sloppy goals count just the same as pretty ones, and Leeds took a well-deserved lead.

Samu Saiz and Jack Harrison were impressive in the first half and both Gjanni Alioski and Mateusz Klich both probably could have scored a pair of goals each in the first half as well, so a dirty goal is the just rewards from an impressive first half.

Leeds started the second half about as the first half ended by looking impressive on the attack, although Pontus Jansson probably could have scored from a corner kick and Alioski shot a rather ambitious attempt at goal when he had all the time in the world to try and settle the ball down to get a better attempt when he was unmarked in the box after a following corner kick.

Tyler Roberts would open his Leeds account in the 74th minute with an extremely impressive goal. Roberts was free down the right channel and from a difficult angle, the young Wales international chipped the keeper. Take a bow, son.

Roberts would add to his goal scoring total in the 82nd minute with a well-worked attacking move that was finished with a nice header to the near post after he was left unmarked in the middle of the box. Mateusz Klich put a beautiful floated cross right to Roberts’ head, and he made no mistake to put Leeds up 3-0 and finish Preston off.

Leeds win again, after drawing their last two matches in the league, and once again looked like a team that belongs on top of the league with an impressive win at Elland Road over an outclassed Preston team.