LEEDS UNITED 3 CITY 0
League Division 1
16th October 1971
attendance 36,004
scorers Clarke(12), Jones(70), Lorimer(89)
Ref W Gow
City Corrigan, Book, Donachie, Doyle, Booth, Towers, Summerbee, Jeffries, Davies, Lee, Mellor – sub Young(60)
Leeds Harvey, Reaney, Cooper, Bremner, Charlton, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Giles, Madeley – sub Jordan(79)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
Eddie Gray may return to first team football against West Ham United in Leeds United’s League Cup replay on Wednesday. If he does, and if Allan Clarke and Mick Jones are able to remove doubts about their fitness for the match, West Ham United can say goodbye to the competition until next season.
Clarke has slight concussion and double vision to add to his other injuries and Jones’s sore groin was aggravated in the destruction of Manchester City at Elland Road. But from the evidence of Saturday’s match, Leeds profit from their presence so much that if the two strikers have to be sent out in bandages, splints or on pogo sticks, West Ham will still be on the receiving end.
Clarke steered the ball home in the twelth minute after a panicky moment by Doyle, and Jones irritation at being denied a penalty when Book blatantly handled the ball to safety was eased when, in an offside position, he was allowed to volley past Corrigan. Fortune has a way of evening things out.
Yet it was not simply that Clarke and Jones scored, so that they need only 13 more goals to bring their partnership to the century mark. It was more the spirit which they engendered among their colleagues which crushed and demoralised City.
Their selfless devotion to restoring Leeds’ reputation inspired not only Giles, the immaculate Bremner, and the ever-industrious Lorimer, but every member of the side. And that inspiration was channeled back. This was the true Leeds.
Of course there was the element of a gamble, but how that gamble paid Jones had not trained for eight weeks. Clarke for four, but their displays must make several managers wish that some of their players were but half as half-fit. With Gray set to return, Leeds are back in contention for honours…
…City missed Bell more than they possibly could have forseen. Their youthful midfield players were outclassed by Bremner, Madeley and Giles, and Summerbee’s hard working threat to the Leeds rearguard was eased aside as Cooper showed that he possesses true defensive as well as attacking qualities.
When Lee limped off, City were thoroughly demoralised, but could hardly be blamed for not preventing Lorimer’s spectacularly explosive volley which completed the destruction seconds from the end of injury time.
By Paul Wilcox in The Guardian 18th October 1971
