After Tuesday nights result we needed a performance tonight, and we got it. The tone was set in the very first minute when Liam Cooper rose to meet the ball West Brom had played forward from their kick off. Jack Harrison broke down the left and played the ball into Pablo Hernandez in acers of space. Pablo kept his composure to fire the ball into the top left hand corner to give Leeds the lead after just 16 seconds, the second quickest ever goal at Elland Road after Jermaine Wright v Burnley in 2004, 10 seconds.
Patrick Bamford added a brace and Giani Alisoki rounded off an emphatic four nil victory to secure revenge over West Brom and Leeds United’s place at the top of the Championship. Leeds are second favourites to win promotion after the match, take advantage of free sports bet no deposit to back the Whites all the way to the Premier League.
Leeds were on top all match, chasing and closing down West Brom all over the pitch, they didn’t give them chance to breathe. Certainly the best performance Marcel Bielsa’s team have put in since Derby and possibly one of the best this season. A fantastic reaction to the defeat to QPR and a fantastic answer to everyone who were claiming this side had ‘burnt out’. It was a match where every player raised their game from Tuesday night.
Jack Harrison playing his best game for Leeds United, Klitch his best of the season and Bamford regaining his finishing his touch following his injury. Pablo was his usual brilliant self, Phillips commanding in defensive midfield and Cooper towering in midfield. If anyone has run more in a single game than Giani Alisoki I would be surprised. Man of the match was a tough call but Tyler Roberts was the standout. 52 touches, 23 successful passes, 72% pass accuracy, 3 tackles, 4 dribbles and 2 assists.
Marcelo Bielsa told the BBC; “For me the most important thing was the effort, attitude and state of mind of the whole team during the whole game. When a win is based on such a consistent effort from the whole team, we have to say that this is the responsibility of the players. I don't want to make excessive comments. When you win a game by a big difference it's better to be moderate in your analysis.”
So back to the top of the table with a bang, if we play like that for the rest of the season we have every chance of being promoted. Norwich and Sheffield Utd have potentially tricky games against Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday over the next few days, here is hoping one of them slip up.
Quickest goal stat courtesy of @lufcstats