This was the night for Crysencio Summerville to show why he has so often been the main character in the story of Leeds United’s season.
When the game was frustrating, when Hull City’s fouls were frequent and the substitutions not early enough, Summerville had the nerve. The dribble to win the penalty, the squabble with Joel Piroe to take it and the chest pounding celebration said it all — he is the man.
It is a confidence that comes from scoring 18 goals this season. It had the potential to go very wrong with the score locked at 1-1 on 88 minutes and Hull City looking like the team more capable of grabbing a winner. But this is Leeds United in an unprecedented Championship season and Summerville is relishing his role in centre-stage.
The night started with a blow as promotion rivals Leicester City defeated Norwich and then Ipswich Town pulled off their own late miracle to bag a 3-2 win over Southampton with seconds left. It has happened so often for Kieran McKenna’s team this season that the whispers started long before Jeremy Sarmiento prodded home. “Watch Ipswich nick this, they always do,” was the chorused muttering in the hallways and concourses of Elland Road — and they did.
Leeds started like the team resigned to the awkward kick off time in the slate of Bank Holiday fixtures. It is a unique pressure and for a while it looked like this might be when Leeds faltered.
The central defensive partnership of Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu was restored, but Leeds were missing Connor Roberts, Willy Gnonto and Ilia Gruev. Among those that did start, Glen Kamara had a cold, Summerville had injury worries, Rodon needed painkillers to play through back spasms and Sam Byram was struggling to sprint by half-time.
Hull were a challenge from the off as they dominated possession — a rarity for a team visiting Elland Road — and caused their hosts anxiety through the tricky front three of Jaden Philogene, Ozan Tufan and Fabio Carvalho. Even when Leeds took the lead through Sam Byram, who bundled in at the back post after Summerville saw a shot parried, the visitors looked threatening.
Their equaliser via a flicked Carvalho finish was evidence of why Farke is missing Gruev in the heart of midfield as Leeds did little to engage the advancing Hull players in a surging attack. Ceding possession to Hull in some areas was part of the plan but being overrun in midfield so easily was not.
“Our problem was that in the first half we were too poor in possession and had to wait and shift to win the ball,” Farke said. “Ilia dictates our rhythm and is so good on the ball under pressure so it’s no coincidence that we lacked a bit the quality in possession in the first half.”
Leeds had their chances, most notably with Patrick Bamford skying a shot over the bar from a few yards out and substitute Mateo Joseph hitting the post, but the game appeared to be running away from them before Summerville’s moment of brilliance.
The Dutchman’s trademark jinking run from the wing saw him brought down under a challenge from Regan Slater to earn the penalty but it was what happened next that underlined his self-belief.
Piroe, Farke revealed afterwards, was the designated penalty-taker having come on as a substitute, and it was he who initially placed the ball on the spot.
He was just starting to walk back to mark out his run-up when Summerville – Leeds’ designated taker in the starting XI – stepped forward and picked it up himself, tapping his chest to indicate he was pulling rank.
A heated conversation ensued, before Ampadu – aided by Junior Firpo – persuaded Piroe to step away, although he was still complaining when he was stood on the edge of the area waiting for Summerville to strike.
The fall-0ut had he missed could have been toxic but, having decided he was the man to shape the narrative, Summerville proved up to the task, rolling into the net as Ryan Allsop dived the other way before ripping off his shirt and charging to corner. “I felt good in the game, we had a few chances, and I thought this was one mine,” he told Sky Sports by way of explanation.
Farke’s view? A “complicated situation” but the “right decision”.
The Leeds manager was happier to focus on Summerville’s moment of class that won the penalty.
“We have many special players who can make things happen,” Farke said. “When you close the outside line, he attacks inside and scores a goal like in the last game. Today they closed the inside to he used the line and it was perfect in the situation to produce a pretty calm and cool finish.
“The celebration is always driven by emotion. As a striker I was old school and I liked to celebrate with my team mates but the younger generation like to make a statement. It is good to let them have those moments of individuality as long as they work hard for the team.”
Crysencio Summerville celebrates his goal (Ed Sykes/Getty Images) (Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images)
The story would have only belonged to Summerville were it not for one final moment of spine-tingling euphoria in this nonsensical season. After the cruel fate of missing a decisive penalty for Wales to end their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign last week, Dan James must have felt some redemption when his long-range goal looped into an empty net over a stranded Allsop to make it 3-1 in added time.
These are the moments of quality, interspersed with the moments of heart like Joseph celebrating winning a throw in or Byram playing through the pain for his manager, that are what make Leeds capable of fighting in the final six games.
Leicester win. Ipswich win. Leeds win. Ipswich do it late. Leeds do it late. And so it continues until eventually somebody’s luck runs out.
But sometimes you can create your own luck — Crysencio Summerville knows how.
(Top photo: Ed Sykes/Getty Images)