Sam Allardyce might have struggled to decide whether his glass was half full or half empty when he calmed his nerves after a thrilling introduction to the feverish atmosphere of Elland Road as manager of Leeds United.
Don’t confuse pulsation with quality, as there was very little of that merchandise on display as Leeds went on and then appeared to turn a potential win into a loss before snatching a late equalizer in the of the 2-2 draw against Newcastle United.
Instead, amid the sound and fury of one club battling for Premier League survival against another seeking the riches offered by the Champions League, Leeds and Newcastle had regrets.
Leeds will have to wait for the final count before they can measure how vital Patrick Bamford’s missed penalty as they trailed 1-0 and rocked Newcastle in the first half will be.
It would surely have been a very different game with Leeds holding that advantage in that atmosphere, but Bamford, who faced heavy criticism after missing a stoppage-time keeper in the recent home draw with other Leicester wrestlers City looked a bag of nerves as he placed the ball up and there was a sense of inevitability as Newcastle keeper Nick Pope saved his kick with some comfort.
It looked a potentially decisive failure when Newcastle suffered two penalties from Callum Wilson before Leeds, to their credit, woke up to earn a point, with Elland Road exploding in elation and relief as Rasmus Kristensen’s shot deflected Pope via Kieran Trippier’s header.
Allardyce certainly scored a note of frustration when he said: “We’ve shot ourselves in the foot a few times but we’ve also shown enough to say that if we suppress the mistakes we can get three points in games rather one.
“I believe that with the spirit and the commitment that we showed, if we had led 2-0, we would have won the game, but the way we came back after being knocked down several times was very good. .”
Allardyce smiled as he added: “I needed two Valiums at the end to calm me down – no, I enjoyed it because I thought the guys had done their best and I can’t ask for more than that.”
There was no doubting the size of what was at stake here, especially for Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani, who was in the tunnel to send the players on the path before kick-off. The Italian was smiling – but it looked a lot like a nerve-closing smile.
Elland Road, never the shrunken purple of Premier League arenas, was a cauldron even by its own standards before kick-off, with Allardyce emerging in the Yorkshire sunshine to return hearty applause before pumping his fist at desperate supporters for something to applaud.
They got their wish after seven minutes when Luke Ayling reacted first after Pope fended off Rodrigo’s header.
Allardyce hit the air twice in pure joy as Leeds were on their way until they inflicted the injuries that so clearly angered their manager.
The 68-year-old is obviously open to a collegiate approach at Leeds as he has been closely watched by assistants Karl Robinson and Robbie Keane, both taking on the tight marking role that Jason Tindall also used in the opposite technical field with the Newcastle manager Eddie. Howe.
Allardyce have declared their intention to still have their survival at stake when Tottenham visit Elland Road on the final day of the season and this point, although it could have been three, can still come in handy in that quest.
Leeds were full of effort, if short of class, and Allardyce were rightly pleased with the way they showed resilience to come back, and even the volume levels at Elland Road – rarely dipping below a deafening din – fell for minutes as Newcastle finally took action. of command.
Support, sadly let down by one of their own who was arrested and banned for life by the club after coming up against Newcastle boss Howe in the dying moments, hasn’t given up on his team and Allardyce has already exploited how the fans will be a huge factor if they can reach that final home game with a chance to stay in place.
Amid the ever-changing landscape near the bottom of the Premier League table, Allardyce knows he has no time to lose and must eradicate moments of self-destruction from Bamford, Maximilian Wober – who gave away that first penalty vital with recklessly poor challenge. on Alexander Isak – and Junior Firpo.
Firpo was lucky to escape with only a yellow card for a wild tackle on Bruno Guimaraes, gave away a handball penalty and then was eventually sent off for bringing Anthony Gordon back while running clear.
It was chaotic and Allardyce was right to suggest that Leeds had contributed to their own demise when it came to putting aside what could have been a priceless victory.
The reaction from Leeds United supporters as the players gathered outside the Don Revie Stand after the final whistle suggested they were pleased with both the result and the effort.
Time and two more games will tell if that optimism was warranted.
