Sam Allardyce had waited two years to manage a competitive match and the wait will arguably go on for another week, after he witnessed his new Leeds side suffer at the hands of Manchester City. But there were, in the end, positives to cling to.
The 68-year-old had been given three days on the training ground to impart his methods. It would appear those sessions were attack v defence to prepare them for facing an inevitable afternoon of City domination but Leeds exerted maximum effort, Allardyce’s minimum requirement.
