The Millers came back from behind to beat Leeds in a pulsating Yorkshire derby. With the Sky cameras and a sell-out crowd watching on at the New York Stadium it promised to be an intriguing contest. It didn’t disappoint.
Leeds controlled the first half and deservedly took the lead on the 30th minute when Mirco Antenucci beat the offside trap to latch on to Souleymane Doukara’s pass and place the ball into the net passed Adan Colin. Rotherham came out firing in the second half and got their reward 12 minutes in. Lee Frecklington drove into the box and fired a shot at Marco Silvestri who could only parry it to Alex Revell who gleefully accepted his first goal since Wembley. They turned the game on it’s head 8 minutes later. Revell won possession back on the half way line and the ball was picked up Jonson Clarke-Harris. The club’s record signing drove through the middle and fired a swerving shot from 25-yards into the bottom left hand corner. Leeds pushed for an equaliser but Adam Colin twice denied Brazillian-star Adryan as the Millers hung on for the victory.
| Adam Colin: Made two key saves to win the game for his team. Couldn’t do a lot about the Leeds goal. Another solid display. | 7.0 |
| Frazer Richardson: At fault for the Leeds goal. Should have gone with his man but tried to play offside. That aside he was fairly solid. | 6.5 |
| Craig Morgan: Dealt well with Doukara and Antenucci and won his fair share of aerial battles. | 7.0 |
| Kari Arnason: Back from keeping Robin Van Persie quiet for Iceland against the Netherlands and despite a few hairy moments, he had another solid game. | 7.0 |
| Joe Skarz: Another reliable and consistent performance from Skarz. He’s played every league game this season and it’s not hard to see why. Defended solidly and helped Pringle out down the left. | 7.0 |
| Ryan Hall: Not his day. He’s not afraid to take on a man and get a cross in which is key for a winger. Unfortunately nothing really came off for him. | 6.4 |
| Lee Frecklington: Great drive into the box and shot which forced the Leeds ‘keeper to parry the ball to Revell for the equaliser. Good energetic performance in the midfield. | 7.2 |
| Paul Green: Forming a very good partnership with Lee Frecklington. Their energy complements each other well. He got his foot on the ball and wasn’t afraid to make a tackle. Very good again. | 6.8 |
| Ben Pringle: Brilliant performance from Pringle who worked hard both defensively and going forward. Put in some outstanding crosses for Alex Revell and also tracked back to help out Joe Skarz. | 6.9 |
| Matt Derbyshire: Missed a glorious chance when he was through on goal in the first half. Apart from that offered very little. | 6.3 |
| Alex Revell: Well taken goal and never gave the White’s defence a moments peace. Beginning to find his feet in the Championship. | 8.2 |
Substitutions
| Jonson Clarke-Harris: There’s not many better ways to introduce yourself to a Yorkshire derby than scoring a 25-yard screamer. Offered a completely different dimension for the team with his pace and power. | 7.2 |
| Richard Smallwood: Did well. Was brought on to stop Leeds dominating the midfield and did his job. Adryan didn’t quite have the same effect with Smallwood on the pitch. | 6.8 |
| Paul Taylor: Took his man on and beat a number of times. Offers a very good outlet on the right hand side with his quick feet and trickery. If he improves his end product he’ll be some player. | 6.7 |
Leeds United
| Marco Silvestri : Should have done better with the first goal. Aside from that he did make some decent saves. | 6.6 |
| Gaetano Berardi: Gave Pringle time on the ball to cross in the second half. A lot of Rotherham’s attacks came down the left. Not his best day. | 6.5 |
| Jason Pearce: In the first half he kept Alex Revell largely quiet. He was largely solid and composed throughout. | 6.8 |
| Giuseppe Bellusci: Should have closed Clarke-Harris down before he scored. Aside from that he was decent. | 6.5 |
| Stephen Warnock: Kept Ryan Hall quiet in the first half. Showed his experience with a solid display for Leeds. | 6.8 |
| Tommaso Bianchi: Lost possession for the second goal. Apart from that I think he played fairly well. His passing was tidy and composed. | 6.4 |
| Rodolph Austin: A very powerful performance in the middle of the park. Once he’s on the ball it’s hard to shrug him off it. Drove Leeds forward with his runs through the midfield. | 7.0 |
| Alex Mowatt: I was impressed with Mowett. Good in possession and not afraid to put a tackle in. He’s got a good future in the game ahead of him. | 6.8 |
| Lewis Cook: Wasn’t afraid to get stuck in and like Mowatt was quite composed on the ball. Decent performance from him. | 6.6 |
| Souleymane Doukara: Good precise pass to his strike partner for the opening goal. Apart from that it was really his night and didn’t offer the team much. | 6.5 |
| Mirco Antenucci: Took his goal very well and was a constant threat throughout. | 7.2 |
Substitutions
| Billy Sharp: Came on for Doukara and was largely ineffective. | 6.4 |
| Adryan: Made a real difference when he came on. Forced Adam Colin into a couple of very good saves. Could be a key player for Leeds moving forward. | 7.0 |
| Steve Morrison: Like Sharp he came on and made very little impact on the game. | 6.4 |
Man of the Match
| Alex Revell: Sky selected him as their Man of the Match and it’s hard to disagree with them. Took his goal well and could have had another right at the death. He also won the ball back on the half way line which led to the Rotherham’s second goal. | 8.2 |
