Daily Mirror

BIELSA BID FOR A RUN

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- DAVID ANDERSON

MARCELO BIELSA claims Leeds must go on a winning streak to become more consistent.

They have not won three games in succession this season, lost 13 of their 26 league games – including more at Elland Road than they have won – and Bielsa was frustrated after Saturday’s defeat.

“This was an excellent opportunit­y to win two games in a row and the key is to win games successive­ly,” said the Leeds head coach.

“We could not win to build on the previous victory. But I do not believe this is a game we deserved to lose because we were more dominant.

“We lacked the final pass, lacked imaginatio­n to unbalance our opponent and we lacked precision when we had to cross into the box.”

Leeds do not play again until next Monday at West Ham when Bielsa hopes the injured Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo can return.

SERGIO AGUERO has been warned his legendary status will count for nothing when it comes to deciding his Manchester City future.

Aguero (below), 32, City’s all-time record scorer with 256 goals, is out of contract this summer and has yet to be offered a new deal, after 10 glittering seasons with the Blues. He has endured a season blighted by injury and illness, although boss Pep Guardiola believes he can still play a role in the run-in.

Despite that, Guardiola said sentiment will not be a factor when it comes to deciding whether to offer Aguero, who is on £275,000-aweek, a fresh deal.

“He knows it from day one,” said Guardiola. “Sergio has been one year injured. He has played two or three games, then got injured again.

“But I always think we need him in this part of the season.

“There will be games that will be tight and we’ll need guys who can score. The best guy in those terms is him.”

Brereton 27

COVENTRY James 50

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MARK ROBINS hopes his battlers might just have turned a corner in their quest to beat the drop.

Coventry fought back from a goal down to a earn a precious point on the road.

And the Sky Blues showed their true character to hold on for a result after Leo Ostigard was sent off with seven minutes remaining for a second yellow card.

Robins’ side are now six points clear of the bottom three and he said: “We’re a different team now and we have to take that belief into the next run of games.

“It’s been a really tough week for us with the travelling on the back of the teams we have played – Norwich, Brentford, Cardiff – and we have to get ready to go again on Tuesday and Saturday again.”

Ben Brereton (above, right) fired the hosts ahead in the 27th minute with a sweet strike, but Leicester loanee Matty James’ first goal for nearly four years restored parity after the break.

Sam McCallum’s pinpoint cross was headed down by Tyler Walker and James pounced for his first goal since March 4, 2017.

Rovers boss Tony Mowbray admitted: “We didn’t do the basics well enough against a team with good players. We’re left a bit frustrated but we have to accept it.” BLACKBURN: Kaminski 6, Douglas 7, Branthwait­e 6, Lenihan 6, Nyambe 7, Rothwell 6 (Dolan 87), Evans 7 (Dack 75, 4), Travis 6 (Trybull 62, 5), Brereton 8, Armstrong 6, Elliott 7. COVENTRY: Wilson 7, McCallum 7, Hyam 6, Ostigard 3, McFadzean 6, James 8 (Hamer 70, 5), Shipley 7 (O’Hare 70, 5), Dabo 6 (Pask 70, 5), Kelly 6, Walker 7 (Gyokeres 78, 4), Biamou 6. REFEREE: Darren Bond

MATTY JAMES (COVENTRY)

Potts 23, Evans 67, Sinclair 80

BRAD POTTS banged on the door of Preston manager Alex Neil begging for a chance in his favoured No.10 role.

Now he has got it, Potts knows he needs a string of good displays to prove his boss was right to listen to him.

So Saturday’s man-of-thematch performanc­e against Huddersfie­ld was the ideal response as Potts (right) scored the first, made the second and also hit the bar.

“I asked the gaffer for a run of games in the position I feel I’m at my best,” he said. “But I have to play well. A goal and an assist, that’s what I’m in the team for.”

Huddersfie­ld started well but fell away as Ched Evans and Scott Sinclair added to Potts’ first-half opener.

The Terriers have taken five points from 33 and sit just seven points clear of the bottom three. “The reality is only we can get ourselves out of it. We must stick together,” said defender Richard Keogh. PRESTON: Iversen 7, Van den Berg 6, Storey 6, Hughes 6, Cunningham 6, Browne 6 (Molumby 90, 3), Whiteman 6, Sinclair 6 (Johnson 90), Potts 8, Gordon 5 (Barkhuizen 78, 5), Evans 7

HUDDERSFIE­LD: Schofield 6, Edmonds-Green 5 (Rowe 46, 5), Keogh 6 (Stearman 75, 4), Sarr 5, Pipa 6, Vellejo 5, O’Brien 6, Mbenza 6 (High 70, 3), Bacuna 6, Holmes 5 (Phillips 53, 4), Campbell 5 (Sanogo 75, 3) REFEREE: James Linington

MOTM

BRAD POTTS (PRESTON)

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