UK Edition
Leeds back to their best in resounding victory over Derby after Marcelo Bielsa takes the blame
- Leeds United 2-0 Derby County
They used to revel in their dirty Leeds reputation at the height of their power, the mastery of the dark arts, their skill for skulduggery, so you will not find anyone who believes Marcelo Bielsa has tarnished the club’s reputation as they strengthened their position at the top of the Championship.
Derby County were the team motivated by a sense of injustice after they caught a Leeds spy at their final training session, but Bielsa’s men did not seem to be in the least bit worried by the cheating accusations, completely out-playing a supposed promotion rival.
The casual way Bielsa admitted to the crime before the game suggests it was not the first time the man spotted loitering in the bushes on Thursday, armed with binoculars, pliers and a change of clothes, had taken on such an underhand mission, but Leeds were back to their best here.
The animosity in the usually bland pre-match interviews was blatant, the tension crackled. Derby manager Frank Lampard was not impressed with the excuses; the mitigation of cultural differences. He made it clear Leeds had gained an unfair advantage. It was like Don Revie and Brian Clough all over again.
A sold-out Elland Road loved it. They have never worried about whether people like them or not and when their team plays like this, why should they? Bielsa’s behaviour might even endear him more to some supporters who share his ‘by any means necessary’ attitude.
Lampard and Bielsa just about managed a strained handshake in front of the dugouts as the noise cranked up inside the stadium. Leeds United, under the lights, on a Friday night. The stadium rocked to the Bielsa beat.
The home side should have had a penalty after 45 seconds when Andre Wisdom brought down Ezgjan Alioski, but the Leeds player was incorrectly ruled offside when he started his run.
Derby, though, were in the eye of a storm, a white out. They barely got out of their own half and Leeds deservedly took the lead when Jack Clarke – another exciting young prospect off the Academy conveyor belt – beat Craig Bryson and delivered a low cross to the near post for Kemar Roofe to deftly flick beyond Scott Carson.
Leeds’s dominance continued, the irrepressible Adam Forshaw going close to a second goal with a long-range rocket that sent Carson scrambling.
And the second goal came at the start of the second half, Jack Harrison left with a simple finish after Carson had only managed to divert another dangerous cross from Clarke straight to Alioski. The 18-year-old Clarke almost made it a hat-trick of assists with another dart towards the byline, but this time Roofe could not quite stretch far enough to prod it over the line
The home side continued to pour forward, their energy unflagging. Derby had no answer, no hope. A run of three successive defeats is over. Leeds are back to doing what they do best under Bielsa, they just also happen to be upsetting a few people along the way. “Lampard, Lampard what’s the score” rang out in stoppage time as the former Chelsea player looked at the floor.
“We lost to the better team tonight, there is no talking around that, they are a really good team,” said Lampard. “It’s a loud crowd here anyway, maybe it galvanised their supporters what happened in the build-up, but I have to draw a line between what happened beforehand and the performance tonight. They were better on the ball, they pressed us, they were much stronger than we were.”
For Bielsa, this was the perfect response to the pressure that had been building and Leeds moved five points clear of second-placed Norwich.
“It was a really complete performance,” he said. “The supporters knew this was a really important game for us and they supported us like never before. The team behaved in a way that made the supporters like that.”
Match details
Leeds United (4-1-4-1) Peacock-Farrell; Ayling, Cooper, Jansson, Alioski; Forshaw; Clarke (Davis 79), Klich, Harrison (Shackleton 63), Hernandez; Roofe.
Subs not used Huffer, Halme, Gotts, Stevens, Roberts. Booked Roofe.
Derby County (4-3-3) Carson; Wisdom (Nugent h-t) Tomori, Keogh, Holmes, Bryson; Evans (Jozefzoon 61), Mount; Lowe, Marriott (Waghorn 72), Lawrence.
Subs not used Roos, Bogle, Huddlestone, Malone. Booked Evans, Holmes, Wisdom, Waghorn.
Referee Andy Davies (Hants)
Attendance 34.668