MK Dons 3, Leeds United 1

 League One leaders Leicester must be licking their lips in anticipation of three gift-wrapped points at Elland Road on Boxing Day.

While the Foxes enjoyed a 4-0 home victory over Peterborough on Saturday, Leeds crashed to their fifth successive defeat and Gary McAllister’s men just can’t stop leaking goals from corners, no matter who the manager selects in defence.

McAllister gave a debut at right back to Frenchman Mansour Assoumani, brought back tall central defender Lubo Michalik and handed the captaincy to Rui Marques.

But those familiar defensive flaws quickly surfaced again as MK Dons scored twice from corners in the opening 17 minutes.

McAllister admits his post-match press conferences are carrying a familiar story and said: “I must sound like an LP record at the moment that is spinning round and round, playing itself over and over again.

“We conceded set-piece goals again. The job doesn’t get any easier and the mistakes we are making are undefendable.

“It’s my job to look after everything associated with the club, the players most importantly, but there comes a time when it is just not good enough.

“We are in danger of getting paranoid about it but we have to have somebody willing to attack the ball. It might take somebody busting an eye or something to prove we can actually do it.

“I am disappointed for Leeds United and the club’s supporters, who are among the best four or five sets of fans in the country. They are as impatient as I am but I can sleep at night because I am giving 100 per cent.”

Local radio stations took angry calls from supporters demanding McAllister’s head after the latest defeat and it remains to be seen whether chairman Ken Bates, who watched Saturday’s game, will keep his patience and allow the manager to spend the limited funds available when the transfer window reopens in January.

MK Dons took just 11 minutes to open the scoring. Jemal Johnson’s corner was delivered to the near post where Leeds failed to deal with the ball, enabling Sean O’Hanlon to head home.

Then, from another corner by Johnson, the ball came back off the bar and former Bradford loanee Aaron Wilbraham scored from the follow-up.

It was a real kick in the teeth for the 4,000 Leeds fans who had made the long journey to support a team that – with the exception of Robert Snodgrass, who hardly stopped running – looked drained of confidence.

Ironically, it was Snodgrass who should have fired Leeds ahead after only three minutes. Jonny Howson, recalled in place of the suspended David Prutton, had his shot fumbled by goalkeeper Willy Gueret and Snodgrass latched on to the ball, only to see his effort from an acute angle roll along the line and stay out.

McAllister tried to repair the first-half damage by starting the second with right back Frazer Richardson leaving the bench and Assoumani moving into Michalik’s position.

United were back in the picture when Snodgrass was rewarded for his tireless display with his fifth goal of the season, volleying home from 12 yards after the ball bounced around the penalty area, but the Dons rapidly restored their two-goal advantage.

With 55 minutes gone, Johnson – who spent three months on loan to Leeds from Wolves in 2007 – beat Richardson and crossed for Wilbraham to head his second of the match and the Dons’ third.

Former Leeds striker Tore Andre Flo made a late appearance from the Dons’ bench as they comfortably saw out time.

The defeat left United five points behind a play-off place and a massive 15 adrift of leaders Leicester, while the Dons climbed to second place.