CITY 2 LEEDS UNITED 3
League Division 1
11th November 1990
Attendance 27,782
scorers
City Ward(49 pen), White(65)
Leeds Chapman(13), Shutt(42), Strachan(62)
Ref John Deakin
City Coton, Harper. Pointon, Reid, Hendry, Redmond, White, Heath, Quinn, Megson, Ward – subs Brightwell(79) Allen(81)
Leeds Lukic, Sterland, Kamara, Batty, Fairclough, Whyte, Strachan, Shutt, Chapman, McAllister, Speed – subs Pearson(87), Snodin(unused)
FROM THE PRESS BOX
CLIVE WHITE WRITING IN THE TIMES 12TH NOVEMBER 1990
The standing ovation that the Manchester City crowd gave to Peter Reid when he substituted himself in the 80th minute of this rousing encounter at Maine Road yesterday, was an emphatic indication to the club’s board of whom they, at least, would like to see succeed Howard Kendall as manager.
The fact that it was given when city were minutes away from their first defeat at home in the League this season only further underlined their loyalty towards their player-coach. Peter Swales seemed to concur with the view of his supporters that Reid should become his twelfth manager in 17 years as chairman when he said: “I would like Peter to get the job and I hope to announce a decision in the next 40 hours. This result won’t make any difference. One way or the other.” There are enough contributing factors to excuse Reid for losing a match after which he had insisted that he was not prepared to continue in a caretaker role. Ironically it was Alan Harper, an Everton old boy, who complicated City’s tasks by missing a penalty with the score at 0-1 and there was a suspicion of offside about Leeds United’s Third goal.
On scoring chances alone, City deserved at least to draw the game and no one would question their spirit after Kendall’s sudden departure back to Everton last week.
The crowd’s, hostility towards Kendall was evident from placards like “Judas Kendall, but it showed a disgraceful lack of respect when its interrupted the minute’s silence before kick-off on this Remembrance Sunday by chanting obscenities aimed at its form of manager.
The crowd was silenced when Leeds broke away in the midst of City pressure to open the scoring in the 13th minute. Reid would not have been best pleased by the way that McAllister went undetected down the right to receive Sterling’s free kick. The flow of the game, always fast and furious, was fortunately uninterrupted by a crowd disturbance when Leeds supporters in the wrong end of the ground, scaled the high fencing and spilt onto the pitch.
Ward must similarly have felt like seeking refuge when, with the goal begging, he blazed White’s low cross wide of the target. But his remorse was nothing to Harper’s when, in the 39th minute, he drove a penalty, awarded for a push by Whyte on Quinn, high over the crossbar.
Harper, given a consoling pat by Reid, almost immediately compounded his error by obstructing Strachan at a free kick, for which he was a trifle harshly booked. It led to a change of personnel on the ball and Sterling’s kick Looped off Quinn to fall obligingly for Shutt. His first shot was brilliantly defied by Coton, but he managed to squeeze home the rebound via despairing lunges on the goal-line.
City were back in the game, though, when Ward stepped up to take a penalty after Sterling sent Quinn sprawling in the area. With ruthless efficiency, Ward converted his fourth consecutive kick But Leeds, exerting an impressive authority in midfield, were not about to give up points. Batty vindicated the decision of Graham Taylor to call him up into the England squad while Strachan was his usual resourceful self.
In the 62nd minute the little Scot scampered away in his inimitable style to score a third from a position which Looked marginally offside, White promptly reduced the deficit but try as they might, City could close the gap no further.