Leeds United head coach Thomas Christiansen was satisfied to see his side book their place in the next round of the Carabao Cup following a disappointing first half.
Leeds beat Newport County 5-1 at Elland Road with Kemar Roofe scoring a hat trick but the scoreline doesn`t tell the story of the game with the League Two side much the better of the two sides in the first half. Newport deservedly went ahead and they could quite easily have been three-up before the break only to find themselves pegged back on the stroke of half time as Roofe scored his first goal of the game.
Christiansen was satisfied with the win and the response after going behind.
“I`m very satisfied with the result. We changed it from 1-0 to 5-1 and I`m pleased with that. We reached our goal which was to pass through to the next round,” Christiansen told the Y Yorkshire Evening Post.
“We didn`t do things right in the first half and that`s where I`m a little disappointed.
“The response in the second half was good. We deserved the win.
“Drawing at half-time meant it was easier in the second half but my speech (in the dressing room) was clear because we didn`t do what I wanted the team to do. In the second half we improved.”
Newport started strongly and Lemar Reynolds forced Rob Green into a good save.
Vurnon Anita then headed a Shawn McCoulskey off the line as Leeds struggled to cope with the power and pace of the League Two side.
They deservedly went ahead just past the half hour when Green failed to deal with a long-range effort from Joss Ladabie and the ball somehow found its way into the net.
Leeds scored a crucial equaliser just before the break when Roofe fired home from close range after Newport keeper had denied both Conor Shaughnessy and the Luke Ayling.
Roofe netted his second of the game with an instinctive finish early in the second half and he completed a memorable hat-trick just past the hour with an acrobatic over-head kick.
Samu Saiz and Ronaldo Vieira scored late goals to complete a 5-1 win, a scoreline that flattered Leeds as Newport continued to carve out chances in the second half.
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