ELLAND Road was a seething mass of frustration as Leeds United once again surrendered a two-goal lead to be denied maximum points.

On Boxing Day they led 2-0 at Leicester but had to settle for a draw and yesterday against Portsmouth were 2-0 up inside ten minutes and 3-1 ahead after an hour, yet yielded the advantage.

For home fans and manager Simon Grayson, referee Webb – David, not Howard – was the pantomime villain of the piece, denying Leeds strong penalty claims with the score at 3-2 shortly after ruling out a fourth United ‘goal’ because of a foul on goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown.

Although Leeds may have not got the rub of the green from the officials they only have themselves to blame for not banking maximum points.

Poor Pompey defending allowed Max Gradel to steal in to score his fifth goal in four games and on nine minutes Jonny Howson weaved through the centre of the visiting defence to curl in a delightful second goal.

It should have been game over soon after when Ross McCormack’s neat back-heel set up Billy Paynter, but the striker, making his first Leeds start, failed to get a clean contact from close range.

Gradually, cash-strapped Portsmouth, who only named five of the permitted seven substitutes, started to get a foothold in the game and pulled a goal back with a superb angled strike from David Nugent.

With Robert Snodgrass having the beating of former Leeds loan player Carl Dickinson, the home side continued to carve out chances but didn’t increase their lead until Portsmouth failed to clear a corner and Bradley Johnson volleyed in the loose ball.

The two-goal advantage lasted a minute as Leeds were caught napping from the kick-off down Pompey’s right. The defence failed to deal with the ball in the box and Richard Hughes nudged the ball in off Andy O’Brien to reduce the arrears.

Portsmouth may have a threadbare squad, but boast some quality players in their ranks and their midfield gradually started to roll United back. With the free-kick count against them mounting, the Whites’ frustration with the officials seemed to distract them from the job in hand.

Leeds had the ball in the net on 67 minutes when McCormack, filling the advanced midfield role which Howson has occupied so effectively in recent weeks, stabbed the ball in, only for referee Webb to disallow his effort.

It was not long before McCormack was denied again, appearing to be taken down in the box by Ibrahima Sonko with home fans baying for blood.

Despite those incidents, Leeds had not looked secure when Portsmouth attacked and it took an athletic flying save from Kasper Schmeichel to deny Hughes a second goal.

Panic seemed to spread through the Leeds ranks as Pompey continued to push for a leveller which came in calamitous fashion in the second minute of added-on time.

A routine cross created unnecessary confusion between ’keeper Schmeichel and O’Brien, the former Pompey central defender getting the final touch for a dramatic own goal.