Boot on other foot as Leeds United edge out Posh

Leeds manager Simon Grayson was happy to be on the right side of an injury-time goal as his side edged a contentious affair at Peterborough.

Darren O’Dea’s strike in the sixth extra minute settled a thrilling contest for the Whites, who had been denied victory by a similarly late strike from Coventry last Tuesday.

But O’Dea’s winner only told a fraction of the story. The Republic of Ireland defender’s second strike in as many games – which crept over the line off the underside of the bar and was initially credited to Luciano Becchio – came two minutes after the four minutes of signalled added time had expired.

It also came minutes after O’Dea could have followed Posh player Lee Tomlin off the pitch for a last-man foul on David Ball, that flashpoint coming seconds after Mark Little had taken advantage of Paul Rachubka’s error to score Peterboro-ugh’s second equaliser two minutes from time.

Prior to that, sublime goals from Andy Keogh and Adam Clayton had put Leeds ahead, with Gabriel Zakuani equalising in between, while Tomlin saw red for a vicious-looking tackle on Keogh.

Grayson said: “It was a game we should have put to bed before that. We got a little bit sloppy.

“This is a difficult place to come to but I’m delighted with how we played and the quality we showed.”

Confusion had reigned following United’s late winner, with both Becchio and O’Dea claiming it, but referee Keith Stroud later confirmed that O’Dea had been credited with the goal.

Grayson was happy to go along with that verdict – and also backed other controversial decisions Stroud made during the game.

The Leeds boss said: “I think it was a red card. The lad jumped in and if it had been one of my players, I would have thought it was a red.

“I’m sure he’s not malicious but he left himself open to it. I think it was the right decision.”

Grayson added: “I suppose people will say it’s a minimum of four minutes and we conceded a goal against Coventry in exactly the same circumstances. It’s the way football goes.”

But Peterborough’s manager and chairman both went on the offensive after their side’s defeat, with the referee at the heart of their ire.

Within seconds of the full-time whistle, Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony – recently fined by the Football Association – tweeted through his official account: “I want my fine money back from FA. Game ruined again by total incompetence. Fix the problem instead of dishing out fines. DO YOUR JOB.”

Manager Ferguson shared these frustrations – especially as Tomlin’s dismissal, a decision he did not dispute, came while George Boyd was told to stay off the pitch by Stroud in order to change his socks three times following an injury.

An irate Ferguson said: “You can’t go near officials. You can’t talk to them for 30 minutes. It’s all about them. Four minutes of injury time and they score in 96 minutes. But don’t forget it’s Leeds United, so it’ll be okay.”