Wigan revival leaves Bielsa struck dumb
MARCELO Bielsa conceded his Leeds team had taken a potentially fatal blow in their promotion quest despite ‘destiny’ giving them a hand against relegation-threatened Wigan.
Given a numerical advantage by a contentious double-jeopardy decision by referee Scott Duncan to send off Cedric Kipre for an alleged handball on the goalline when awarding an early penalty, Leeds failed to capitalise over the next 75 minutes.
Pablo Hernandez hit the bar from the spot and though Patrick Bamford did put Leeds ahead moments later, Gavin Massey’s clinical brace either side of halftime left them behind Sheffield United on goal difference in the tussle for second place.
With the Championship’s staggered Easter fixtures, they could find themselves three points behind by the time they kick off at Brentford on Monday evening.
Bielsa said: ‘Today only one thing had to happen — we had to win. There is no explanation for this loss. This is a very serious wound in the worst moment. We will heal this only by getting promoted.
‘Today everything went in our favour to take advantage. Destiny gave us a hand.’
No Leeds manager in a debut season can better the 25 league victories Bielsa has tallied and he appeared on course for number 26 after Luke Ayling’s mishit shot bobbled beyond the far post, from where Bamford applied a far superior connection only for Kipre to block on the goalline.
Duncan ruled Kipre had kept it out via the use of his arm and produced the red card. Kipre walked off, gesticulating that he had been struck in the chest.
Hernandez (below) beat the outstanding Christian Walton’s dive but struck the base of the post. Within a couple of minutes, the all-action Ayling threaded a pass into the stride of Bamford, who arrowed a right-foot shot into the far corner. At 1-0 down, and Rotherham winning at Swansea, Wigan found themselves in the drop zone for the first time all season. Their response was astonishing. Cook gambled, leaving two strikers up. It almost paid dividends when Leon Clarke seized upon an anaemic back pass from Gaetano Berardi, and rounded Kiko Casilla, only to chip wide from 30 yards.
Leeds did not heed the warning, as a minute before the interval, the unmarked Massey made good Lee Evans’ pass at the far post.
Then, what felt like a hammer blow was delivered just after the hour as Clarke, the striker on loan from Sheffield United, headed down a raking cross from Nathan Byrne and Massey nodded in his second to stony silence.
Events had taken on an entirely different direction to those anticipated in pre-match when an aircraft flew over head with a message which read, ‘Bielsa is God’.
At the final whistle, Leeds players sunk to the turf while the Wigan bench huddled in a celebration that suggested their drop fears are nearly over.