Bristol City 0-3 Leeds United
Mark Perrow reports from Ashton Gate

Nine-man City were comfortably beaten as goals from Robert Snodgrass, Ross McCormack and Luciano Becchio condemned Derek McInnes' side to a heavy home defeat.

City had the better of the first-half, but red cards for James Wilson and Yannick Bolasie either side of the interval turned the game in the visitors' favour.

McInnes welcomed back captain Liam Fontaine, who took his place at the heart of the City back four alongside Wilson, with Lewin Nyatanga injured and Louis Carey suspended.

Cole Skuse returned to right-back, with Richard Foster switching to the left and Ryan McGivern dropping to the bench. Neil Kilkenny was back in midfield against his former club in McInnes' only other change from defeat at Reading last time out.

After Snodgrass fired over from a free kick, City were first to hit the target. The two wingers, Albert Adomah and Bolasie, combined on the left flank, leading to a well-placed shot from Adomah that visiting 'keeper Andy Lonergan did well to prevent finding the bottom corner.

By 25 minutes, Adomah's effort remained the only memorable moment of a slow-burning contest, but Kilkenny did his bit to stoke the fire with a 30-yard drive that Lonergan could only smother at the second attempt with Chris Wood closing in.

Adomah tested Lonergan again at the end of a rare spell of Leeds pressure. Snodgrass sold Fabian Delph short on the edge of the City box, allowing Kalifa Cisse to win the ball and Kilkenny to break. The Australian fed Adomah, who this time favoured power over placement but saw his shot comfortably repelled at the near post.

As snowfall reached its peak, Leeds warmed the hearts of their travelling fans with the opener five minutes before half-time at the end of a swift passing move. Luciano Becchio fed marauding full-back Danny Pugh with City outnumbered in their own penalty area.

When Pugh squared the ball to McCormack, Snodgrass was left wide open and duly slotted past James from his compatriot's lay-off.

If McInnes' defence already looked exposed, it became even more so when Wilson was dismissed for tripping McCormack. As the last defender, the Welshman left referee James Linington little choice but to brandish the red card.

From looking the more likely to go in front, City were a goal and a man down, inflicting the same fate upon themselves for the second Saturday running, having been undone by the same combination - albeit the other way around - at the Madejski.

There was still time for the impressive Kilkenny to have a shot half-blocked from Bolasie's left-wing cross, before Stephen Pearson glanced wide another Bolasie centre.

There could be no doubt that City had offered the greater attacking threat, yet it was the visitors heading into the break seemingly in control of proceedings.

McInnes surprisingly withdrew the influential Kilkenny to restore his back four at half-time, before Leeds set about doubling their lead, only for the offside flag to prevent McCormack's close-range header from standing.

Bolasie saw red 12 minutes into the second half for a second yellow card - seconds after picking up his first. Initially booked for a foul on Adam Smith, the winger upended the same player from the next attack to leave his team down to nine, before the ever-dangerous Snodgrass twisted and turned inside the area only to be denied a second goal by Fontaine's goal-line block.

By now it was all Leeds and McCormack was denied by the same offside flag after rounding James. Aidan White was next to go close, before McCormack finally put the result beyond doubt, firing under the keeper's body 11 minutes from time.

City stuck at it, with Fontaine forcing Lonergan into a late save, but playing with nine men for more than half an hour inevitably had a huge bearing on the outcome, as Becchio lashed in a third in added time.