Gary Lineker has described Preston North End’s clash with Leeds United as ‘feisty’ as the two sides locked horns for the second time in a month.
PNE beat Leeds 2-1 on Boxing Day and it’s fair to say that tensions were stoked between the two sides during that game.
With the scoreline at 0-0, Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier pushed North End striker Milutin Osmajic in the face and was given a straight red card.
Osmajic received criticism for making the most of the situation and Leeds anger was only raised as PNE bagged a late winner to claim a 2-1 victory.
The fixture list threw PNE and Leeds together again less than a month since that Boxing Day clash – but it was Daniel Farke’s men who won it this time.
Gary Lineker reacts to ‘feisty’ Leeds United v Preston North End clash
PNE took an early lead through Will Keane, only for Daniel James to level it up quickly for the hosts.
North End battled away and certainly showed physicality against Leeds, but the Whites found a last-gasp winner.
Ryan Ledson was penalised for handball in injury time and Joel Piroe stepped up to score, leaving PNE heartbroken.
Leeds fans were unhappy with PNE’s aggressive approach; North End made more than twice the number of tackles as Leeds and picked up six yellow cards.
Two substitutes even picked up yellows, so North End were seen to be towing the line in terms of physicality against promotion-chasing Leeds.
Meslier took not one but two jabs at PNE on social media, seemingly still unhappy with the Osmajic situation in December.
There was real needle between the two clubs and even Match of the Day host Gary Lineker noticed an edge during the game.
Speaking on The Rest is Football, Lineker noted that it was a ‘really entertaining game’, describing the match as ‘quite passionate and ‘feisty’.
Lineker claims that he had a feeling Leeds would nick a winning goal and that’s exactly what happened, giving them a ‘good result’.
“Leeds, a good result for them,” said Lineker. “It was a really entertaining game, it was quite passionate and feisty. I kept thinking ‘Leeds are gonna nick this, Leeds are gonna nick this’, and they did,” he added.
PNE showed plenty of fight and, on another day, would have got out of Elland Road with a point.
Instead, Leeds got their revenge after Boxing Day and will be hoping to win promotion and avoid another war of attrition with PNE next season.