Leeds thrash Swans to maintain perfect year start

Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring with his 16th goal of the season

Leeds maintained their perfect start to 2024 in the league with a seventh straight win at shell-shocked Swansea.

Gnonto broke clear to add a fourth after the break to complete a comfortable victory.

Leeds were simply faster and sharper than their hosts who were brought back down to earth just days after Luke Williams' first win in charge at Hull.

Williams is now with just one victory in six, though that includes facing the top three sides in the Championship.

In stark contrast, Leeds' perfect start to 2024 had coincided with the return to fitness and form of Patrick Bamford.

The striker, with four goals and an assist in his last six games, was named to start at Swansea.com Stadium only to be ruled out following a strain during the warm-up.

His replacement, Piroe, knows all about scoring in south Wales after 41 goals in 91 appearances for the Swans before joining Leeds last summer.

And it took him less than ten minutes before he found the net again.

By that time Leeds were already ahead. Summerville took just seven minutes to picked up where he left off in their 3-0 win over Rotherham with his 16th goal of the season.

Swansea failed to clear a corner and Georginio Rutter's perseverance set up the Dutchman whose curling effort deflected off the outstretched Jay Fulton and past the wrong-footed Carl Rushworth.

Swansea's goalkeeper could little to deny Piroe just two minutes later when the striker was clean through after combining with Gnonto.

Gnonto should have scored the visitors' third after Glen Kamara launched a counter-attack that had attackers outnumbering defenders three to one.

He lacked the guile to beat Rushworth then, but made amends before half-time when he clinched his first - and Leeds' third.

Gnonto raced unmarked onto Archie Gray's through ball, Swansea's defence were too slow to react and the striker turned the retreating Ben Cabango inside-out before scoring at the near post.

With game comfortably in Leeds' control, it was inevitable that Swansea would enjoy far more possession in the second half but lacked the cutting edge to do much with it.

New Brazilian signing Ronald was creative and industrious but twice Jamie Paterson was wasteful with his efforts.

As Swansea pushed, gaps opened behind and when Matt Grimes lost possession, Summerville released Gnonto who held his nerve to thump home his second and put the game beyond any doubt.