Leeds dig out a point against Magpies after Callum Wilson double
ALL WHITE: Leeds United's Rasmus Kristensen celebrates after scoring his side's second goal against Newcastle United at Elland Road. Picture: AP Photo/Rui Vieira
RASMUS Kristensen proved Leeds' unlikely saviour with a late equaliser which might just be worth its weight in gold at the end of the season.
The Elland Road side remain in the bottom three and are likely to have to chisel out a win against West Ham or Tottenham in their two remaining games in order to avoid the drop, but they at least retain hope after a gutsy display denied Newcastle a victory that would all but have sealed their place in next season's Champions League.
Eddie Howe's side deserved at least a point and looked set for all three after Callum Wilson showed the hapless Patrick Bamford how to take a penalty under pressure to put the Geordies' 2-1 up with 20 minutes left.
It wasn't enough to seal a sixth win in the last eight visits to Elland Road, however, as Kristen's 79th minute shot form the edge of the area wrong-footed Nick Pope after deflecting off Toon skipper Kieran Trippier for an unexpected leveller at a time when the visitors looked more likely to claim the fourth goal of a breathless contest.
The game swung Newcastle's way in pivotal four-minute spell midway through the first-half with Leeds ahead through Luke Ayling's second goal of the season, an early close-range follow-up after Pope spilled Rodrigo's header.
The hosts were presented with the perfect opportunity to double their advantage when Junior Firpo's burst into the box was met with an unwise challenge from Joelinton which felled the full-back and left referee Simon Hooper with little alternative than to point to the spot.
Bamford looked anything but convincing in his demeanour as he stepped up form 12 yards, and so it proved as Pope atoned for his unwanted part in the opening goal to dive to his right to save, before pushing the rebound to safety.
Wilson was everything Bamford hadn't been when just minutes later, the England forward beat Joel Robles with a confident finish from the spot low to the keeper's right after Max Wober's ill-conceived lunge at Alexander Isak resulted in the contest's second penalty.
Wilson looked to have won it with his last touch of the ball before being substituted, an unerring 69th minute spot kick sent straight down the middle, after Firpo's sleight of hand, initially missed by referee Simon Hooper, was flagged up by VAR.
But Kristensen had other ideas with his third goal of the season, and Leeds held out for a crucial share of the spoils after Firpo capped an increasingly erratic display with a second yellow in stoppage time.
(4-3-3): Robles 6; Ayling 8, Kristensen 8, Wober 6, Firpo 5; McKennie 4, Koch 6, Greenwood 6 (Forshaw 46, 7), Rodrigo 7 (Aaronson 87, 5), Bamford 3 (Struijk 90, 5), Harrison 5 (Gnonto 64, 6). Sent-off: Firpo. Booked: Gnonto, Robles, Bamford.
(4-3-3): Pope 7; Trippier 7, Schar 7, Botman 7, Burn 6; Guimaraes 6, Joelinton 6, Willock 3 (Anderson 87, 6); Almiron 6 (Gordon 72, 5), Wilson 9 (Saint-Maximin 72, 5), Isak 7. Booked: Guimaraes, Wilson.
: Simon Hooper 6
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