Leeds 20-14 Salford: Sutcliffe ensures late Leeds win

Match Stats

Leeds tries: Hall (10), Keinhorst (45), Sutcliffe (78)
Penalties/conversions: Burrow (25,45,49,78) 

Salford tries: O'Brien (17), Welham (39), Tomkins (70)
Penalties/conversions: O'Brien (70) 

Match Report

Liam Sutcliffe came off the bench to score the winning try as Leeds continued their dominance of Salford at Headingley. 

Sutcliffe dropped to the bench with Danny McGuire fit to start, and he delivered the best response by landing the telling blow three minutes from time to give the Rhinos a 20-14 victory.

Ryan Hall's try gave Leeds an early lead in the Betfred Super League clash but they could only add a Rob Burrow penalty as Salford went into half-time 8-6 up courtesy of tries from Gareth O'Brien and Kris Welham.

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McGuire's kick had laid on the Rhinos' opener and it was his break that gave Jimmy Keinhorst the opportunity to edge the home side back in front just after the break.

Another Burrow penalty made it 14-8 but Logan Tomkins' converted try set up a tense last 10 minutes.

Both sides spurned opportunities to win it before Sutcliffe handed Leeds their eighth straight home victory over Salford in Super League.

The Rhinos lacked structure throughout 2016 but the early signs were promising on their return to Headingley with old mates McGuire and Burrow directing traffic in the halves.

It was McGuire's first start of the season as he aims to put an injury-plagued year behind him and he was central to Leeds' fluent play early on.

A strong start by the home side was rewarded after nine minutes when Hall spectacularly plucked McGuire's cross-field kick out of the sky to touch down.

Salford responded positively to Hall's opener and, after George Griffin had a try ruled out for a forward pass by Tomkins, O'Brien dummied his way over out wide from Michael Dobson's pass.

O'Brien failed to convert his own try and the Red Devils found themselves behind again when Burrow kicked his first points of the night from a penalty after Lee Mossop was penalised for a high tackle on Stevie Ward.

Despite trailing 6-4 Salford were creating the clearest openings, with the impressive O'Brien picking up where he left off in last week's victory at Huddersfield.

And the visitors went into half-time with a slender lead on the back of a classy dummy and break by Robert Lui which allowed Welham to score his first Salford try, despite the best efforts of Leeds full-back Ashton Golding.

The break allowed the Rhinos to regroup and they were back in front four minutes into the second half after quick thinking from dummy-half McGuire allowed Keinhorst to race clear to score under the posts, leaving a simple conversion for Burrow.

The scrum-half was on target again minutes later to give Leeds a six-point advantage which would have been greater had Salford not scrambled to haul down Keinhorst just inches short of the line in the build-up to the penalty.

Tom Briscoe had an acrobatic effort ruled out as the Rhinos piled on the pressure, but in the next set Salford went close after breaking from deep to serve a warning to their hosts.

Good scrambling defence by Leeds kept Salford out but the Red Devils' pressure finally told as Tomkins took an offload and powered his way over from close range.

O'Brien's conversion levelled the scores up and the sides remained level after both he and Burrow missed penalties from range.

The stage was set for Sutcliffe to deliver a message to Leeds coach Brian McDermott by backing up Burrow's break to give his side back-to-back wins.

Match Reaction

Salford coach Ian Watson on a possible forward pass for the late try: "I don't know how two touch judges and a referee can miss it.

"It's a bad call and it's cost us dearly.

"The ref and the officials weren't great all game. There was a dead-set penalty we should have had 30 metres out in front of the posts. Gaz O'Brien doesn't miss that one, he kicks that and that's our win at Leeds.

"What's happened on the back of it has just compounded that - it was a massive forward pass. The fact there are only three people in the ground who don't see it is unreal.

"It's a long time since Salford came here and got a result. We were adamant as a group we were going to come here and get something. It was a win we wanted and I thought the boys deserved it.

"I feel we've been let down by an outside factor. It's a cruel way to lose a game."

Leeds coach Brian McDermott on the incident: "I'm going to be very diplomatic, I actually didn't see the pass. But enough people shouted for it. If it was, it was.

"I can understand his frustration. But you've got to ask the question, 'Is that why the try was scored?'.

"From my point of view, I won't be rolling my eyes on Monday and saying to the fellas, 'We were lucky'."