Leeds rollercoaster continues with thrilling comeback win over Bournemouth

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The exhilarating, exhausting Leeds United adventure is showing no signs of slowing down.

A week after breaking an eight-game winless run by beating Liverpool at Anfield, Jesse Marsch’s side trailed 2-1 at halftime, got booed off by the Elland Road faithful, then fell further behind three minutes into the second half, only to emerge with a wild 4-3 win.

The win pushes Leeds three points clear of the drop zone, and depending on Everton’s result later in the day, the weirdest club in the Premier League this season could be sitting as high as 12th.

Initially, it looked like Marsch’s men would build on their stunning win at Liverpool. Rodrigo fired home a third-minute penalty after Crysencio Summerville was taken down within 50 seconds of kickoff.

A perfect start was quickly turned on its head. Marcus Tavernier brought Bournemouth level just four minutes later after some shoddy defending, and Pascal Struijk had to clear Philip Billing’s effort off the line shortly thereafter.

Billing wouldn’t be denied in the 19th minute, finishing off a pass from Tavernier, and the Cherries had Leeds rattled to such an extent that the home fans jeered their team into the locker room at the break.

Leeds responded in the only way they know how, throwing numbers forward, but by the 48th minute things had only gotten worse. A Bournemouth counter ended with Dominic Solanke somehow reaching his left leg back around Tyler Adams to glance Tavernier’s low cross past Illan Meslier.

Backs against the wall once again, Leeds responded in typical fashion. Sam Greenwood, just six minutes after coming on, curled home a stunner on the hour mark, bringing Elland Road to life and giving Leeds some hope of salvaging something from the game.

Barely two minutes later, Summerville slipped Rodrigo in behind, only for the Spanish international to slice his shot into the stands.

Leeds fans didn’t have to wait long for the equalizer. A 68th minute Greenwood corner found Liam Cooper, who towered over Chris Mepham to head past Mark Travers and send the stands into delirium.

Things were truly up for grabs. Jack Stacey missed by inches for Bournemouth moments after coming on in the 73rd minute, and three minutes later, Marcos Senesi just barely blocked Brenden Aaronson’s shot after a smart one-time pass from Adams.

The winner finally arrived, and it was an appropriate sort of goal for a breathless, end-to-end game. Bournemouth were caught with seven men forward, and Leeds burst out from the top of their own box at full speed on the counter. Wilfried Gnoto crucially kept his balance after an attempt to shove him down from behind, preserving a three-on-three break for Leeds.

Adams peeled out right, but Gnoto spotted a sprinting Summerville to split the defense, sending him into the box to thump a shot past the approaching Travers and spark bedlam.

Summerville’s arrival late in the transfer window is proving to be absolutely critical. It was his 89th minute winner last week that gave Leeds the unlikely three points against Liverpool, and his run to score this decisive goal against Bournemouth was everything Marsch and Leeds are about: full speed, full commitment (note how he gets completely taken out by Travers a split-second after shooting), all-or-nothing soccer.

Did we get a lengthy Marsch celebration? Was it a stark contrast to the stereotypical above-it-all manager who puts on a stone face while the entire building is shaking with rowdy fans around them?

You already know the answer.

The Leeds circus fires back up on Wednesday, when they head south to face Wolves in the Carabao Cup.

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