47 min Sheff Utd have an early opportunity for another long throw. This one doesn’t reach Meslier and is forced clear, I think by Tanaka.

46 min Sheffield United get the second half under way. As things stand they are top of the Championship, a point clear of Leeds and five of Burnley.

Half-time substitution Sheffield United are bringing on Hamza Choudhury for Harry Clarke, who was injured just before half-time.

Half-time reading

Half time: Sheffield United 1-0 Leeds United

45+1 min Three minutes of added time. Clarke is okay to continue.

45 min Harry Clarke is down and needs treatment. It looks like a problem with his left ankle.

42 min It took a while but Leeds are right in this game now. The dangerous Solomon makes another perfectly timed run in behind, turns back onto his right foot and whips a shot that is headed away by Ahmedhodzic.

39 min: Chance for Solomon! That’s Leeds’ best opportunity so far. Solomon makes an excellent behind Clarke, onto a clipped pass from Rodon in the centre circle. Ahmedhodzic comes across to cover, Solomon chops inside him but then shoots straight at Cooper.

36 min Leeds are having their best spell of the half. Bogle plays a crisp one-two and reverses a cross that is cleared at the second attempt by Robinson.

34 min “That 1977 Campeonato Carioca conundrum of yours is not a problem that poor Meslier will ever bother too many researchers with, I’m afraid,” says Justin Kavanagh.

That’s cold.

33 min A good attack from Leeds. Solomon cuts inside from the left and finds Aaronson, who moves it across to James on the far side of the area. The ball is bouncing a little awkwardly and eventually he thrashes high and wide with his left foot.

32 min Leeds have had more of the ball, almost 70 per cent, but Sheffield United are happy with that. They’re defending deep and picking their moments to go through the gears in attack.

30 min Brereton Diaz plays a penetrative pass to Campbell on the left. He screws a terrific first-time cross is that turned behind by Firpo, stretching in front of O’Hare at the near post. That’s really good defending.

29 min Solomon’s corner is headed across goal by Gruev and grabbed with authority by Cooper. The header wasn’t on target but it could have caused problems had it got past Cooper.

28 min “Btw Rob, what aspect of the 1977 Campeonato Carioca are you researching?” asks Peter Oh.

I’m trying to work out exactly how many minutes Vasco da Gama went without conceding a goal from May 1977 to September 1978. This is my life, and it’s ending one trivia nugget at a time.

27 min At the other end, Peck runs into space and curls a long-range shot that is comfortably saved by Meslier.

26 min James curls a dangerous inswinging cross that is a few yards in front of Solomon at the far post. Leeds are starting to have one or two promising attacks.

24 min “The nature of the opening goal reminded me to share this riddle,” says Peter Oh. “What do you call it when the Leeds keeper tries to snaffle the ball in a hectic, crowded six-yard box?

“A Meslier melee. In this case, a messy Meslier melee.”

Arf. The more I see the goal, the more I think he was just unlucky – his back foot gave way and that was crucial in the eventual outcome.

21 min Better from Leeds. Firpo combines well with Solomon and slides a low cross that is well cut out at the near post, I think by Robinson.

19 min Rak-Sakyi plays a smart square pass to Brereton Diaz, whose fierce first-time shot from 20 yards is blocked. Sheffield United are all over Leeds like a cheap cliche.

18 min Another long throw isn’t dealt with convincingly by Meslier, who is being targetted by Sheffield United. This is a big 10 minutes for him and Leeds.

16 min Almost a second for Sheffield United, with a terrific cross from Burrows (I think) flashing right across the face of goal.

I thought Tyrese Campbell had scored but in fact it’s an own goal from Illan Meslier. Brereton Diaz curled a sensational inswinging cross from the left that was met by O’Hare at the near post. His header was pushed onto the underside bar by Meslier, a quite brilliant reaction save, but Leeds couldn’t get the ball away.

Campbell headed the rebound onto the post, a bad miss in truth, and then headed the second rebound back across the goalline. Meslier, who was sliding desperately towards his own goal after making that original save, couldn’t slow his momentum and knocked the ball into his own net. I think Meslier might have slipped as well.

GOAL! Sheff Utd 1-0 Leeds (Meslier og 14)

10 min “As a Leeds fan,” says Ezra Finkelstein, “I’m white-knuckling my way through this game which feels like it could make or break our promotion charge.”

I’m not sure, as a neutral, that it’s quite that important. But then if I was a Leeds (or Sheff Utd) fan I’d have the whitest knuckles in the west.

9 min: Off the line by Gruev! Meslier is looking vulnerable on set-pieces. He paws Peck’s corner back towards his own goal – he thought he was fouled, the referee disagreed – and Gruev did brilliantly to stoop forward and head the ball off the line.

8 min A long throw from the left is spilled by Meslier, who is very relieved to dive on the loose ball before any Sheffield United player can get to it.

5 min Plenty of boos as Bogle, who left Sheffield United last summer, has his first run down the right for Leeds. To the surprise of precisely nobody, it’s been a frantic start.

3 min Struijk and Campbell stay down for a bit after an unpleasant but entirely accidental collision. They’re on their feet now.

2 min A wayward shot from Vini Souza is collected near the corner flag by Rak-Sakyi. He hits a tremendous inswinging cross that just clears the man at the near post and is headed away.

1 min Leeds, in yellow, kick off from left to right as we watch. Their manager Daniel Farke is banned from the touchline tonight after picking up another booking last Monday.

Apologies, I’ve been sidetracked with some research into the Campeonato Carioca of 1977. The players are ready for action, and the atmosphere is spectacular.

Jonathan Wilson on the promotion race

You don’t have to spend too much time at a Championship ground to hear the opinion that promotion isn’t worth the hassle, that the euphoria of the moment would soon be replaced by the gloom of habitual defeat. That’s true even at Leeds, who are playing with real verve and confidence at the moment. They haven’t lost in the league since the end of November. They’ve conceded only once in their last seven league games. Last Monday, they came from behind to beat Sunderland with a great pulsating finish, wave after wave of relentless attack eventually leading to a 95th-minute winner. On Monday they go to second-placed Sheffield United: win that and they will be five points clear at the top of the Championship.

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