Chopra's free kick was perfect
Wow. If ever there was a match with so many talking points.
The first half saw Leeds Utd enjoy plenty of ball without creating any clear cut chances. City's efforts in attack were of an equally poor standard but the game changed when two Leeds players clattered into each other as the half came to a close.
Jonathon Douglas and Rui Marques both needed treatment with Marques immediately subbed. While Douglas was off the pitch City won a free kick just outside the box and Michael Chopra made no mistake from 20 yards.
At half time Kerrea Gilbert was replaced by Chris Gunter (Gilbert had a knock) and Gunter had an excellent 2nd half.
With City leading the match semed to be heading one way. Leeds offered very little but things changed when Michael Chopra was given a second yellow card for raised hands. Soon after though City won a penalty. A blatant handball earned the spot kick but no punishment was meted out to the Leeds player despite blocking a goal scoring oportunity.
Steve Thompson took the ball and placed his kick at a nice height for the keeper to tip over the bar.
If if was going to be a defensive end to the game for City with 10 men looking to hold onto the lead then it was backs to the wall when Simon Walton got a second yellow and was sent off.
I thought Walton was harshly adjudged to have dived but others say it was for foul language that he picked his second caution.
So we had a cauldron of noise from both sets of fans as the 11 men of Leeds seiged the Cardiff penalty area. Not the goal though, Leeds rarely managed to make Neil Alexander work and when they did he was up to the job.
The best chance of the last 10 mins came from Paul Parry, how sweet it would have been of his lob had gone in rather than be hacked off the line by the defender.
Beating 9 men by holding on is cool enough, to score with only nine men would have been something special.
The final whistle when it came was a huge relief.
City were in disarray prior to kick off becuase of a lack of centre halves. Kevin McNaughton played alongside Roger Johnson and he was superb. Johnson and McNaughton put themselves on the line time and time again. Ledley at left back and Gilbert / Gunter the full backs also played their part. In Peter Whittingham we have a quality footballer, some of his moves were brilliant and he could have scored but was denied by a last ditch block. One first time cross from him to Michael Chopra was sheer class.
There was some to'ing and fro'ing on the Grange End with idiots from both sides trying to outdo each other in the sickening chants department.
The refereee was loudly boo'd off the pitch. 8 yellow cards were handed out, two of them the second ones that saw Chopra and Walton sent off. He also managed to allow several awful challenges by Leeds go unpunished. He slightly countered that by not booking Thompson late on. That would have been his second yellow and City could have been down to 8 men.
The suspensions due are very confusing so we wait to see who misses which games.
City drop from the top 6 after Sunderland's big home win over Southend. We are 7th with the teams in 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th all on 56 points. Leeds Utd remain bottom of the Championship.
At half time Kerrea Gilbert was replaced by Chris Gunter (Gilbert had a knock) and Gunter had an excellent 2nd half.
With City leading the match semed to be heading one way. Leeds offered very little but things changed when Michael Chopra was given a second yellow card for raised hands. Soon after though City won a penalty. A blatant handball earned the spot kick but no punishment was meted out to the Leeds player despite blocking a goal scoring oportunity.
Steve Thompson took the ball and placed his kick at a nice height for the keeper to tip over the bar.
If if was going to be a defensive end to the game for City with 10 men looking to hold onto the lead then it was backs to the wall when Simon Walton got a second yellow and was sent off.
I thought Walton was harshly adjudged to have dived but others say it was for foul language that he picked his second caution.
So we had a cauldron of noise from both sets of fans as the 11 men of Leeds seiged the Cardiff penalty area. Not the goal though, Leeds rarely managed to make Neil Alexander work and when they did he was up to the job.
The best chance of the last 10 mins came from Paul Parry, how sweet it would have been of his lob had gone in rather than be hacked off the line by the defender.
Beating 9 men by holding on is cool enough, to score with only nine men would have been something special.
The final whistle when it came was a huge relief.
City were in disarray prior to kick off becuase of a lack of centre halves. Kevin McNaughton played alongside Roger Johnson and he was superb. Johnson and McNaughton put themselves on the line time and time again. Ledley at left back and Gilbert / Gunter the full backs also played their part. In Peter Whittingham we have a quality footballer, some of his moves were brilliant and he could have scored but was denied by a last ditch block. One first time cross from him to Michael Chopra was sheer class.
There was some to'ing and fro'ing on the Grange End with idiots from both sides trying to outdo each other in the sickening chants department.
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The suspensions due are very confusing so we wait to see who misses which games.
City drop from the top 6 after Sunderland's big home win over Southend. We are 7th with the teams in 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th all on 56 points. Leeds Utd remain bottom of the Championship.