EL LOCO-MOTIVE
Maximum man Marcelo has got Leeds going like a train
THE Marcelo Bielsa juggernaut rolls on, though it hit a few bumps on the track on the way to Leeds’ fourth successive win of the season.
Even the legendary Don Revie never achieved a start like this during his trophyladen time in charge.
Mind you, this wasn’t a performance which had archperfectionist Bielsa waxing lyrical afterwards.
“We have been better than that,” said Bielsa, the man who goes by the nickname El Loco.
“Our opponents had three clear moments to score in the first half due to our own mistakes.
“We built too much from the back and our crosses were not very good.
“But we were faithful to our style and as they tired, that gave us more space to attack and in the end, we deserved to win.”
It took Leeds 49 minutes to break the deadlock.
And even then, they required the assistance of goal-line technology to rule that Luke Ayling’s diving header had crossed the line.
The full-back netted his first-ever goal for the club following a scramble in which both Liam Cooper and Kemar Roofe might have scored before Ayling’s telling intervention.
Roofe did get on the scoresheet in the 72nd minute, following up his double blast at Derby with the clincher here.
And the goal was as clinical as Ayling’s had been messy.
Barry Douglas released him down the left, Roofe glided down the outside of Zak Vyner and then, from the tightest of angles, curled a beauty past Marek Rodak.
While Stoke and Derby were blown away in the opening two league games – and Bolton never threatened their place in the second round of the EFL Cup in midweek – Leeds weren’t at their best against a Rotherham side intent on rewriting the predicted script in this Yorkshire derby.
Indeed, it was the visitors who fashioned the best chances before the break.
Paul Warne’s side should have gone ahead through Ryan Williams in the 25th minute following a moment of madness by skipper Cooper.
His suicidal pass across the face of his own goal bisected keeper Bailey Peacock-farrell and Gaetano Berardi, allowing the Aussie to nip in.
Williams looked certain to score but Peacock-farrell flung himself at the striker’s feet to spare Cooper’s blushes.
Three minutes later, Leeds had another let off when Jon Taylor’s 30-yarder struck the inside of a post. Leeds created just a handful of openings before the break.
Roofe shot inches wide, Samuel Saiz forced a regulation save out of Rodak and on 45 minutes, the keeper tipped over a Mateusz Klich shot.
But there’s momentum about Leeds right now. The 33,699 crowd even applauded when the bucket Bielsa sits on was brought out five minutes before kick-off.
It may have taken the Argentinian until the second half to work his magic but once Ayling struck, there was only one winner.
And Saiz could have made victory even more emphatic, only for Richard Woods to clear his shot off the line.
“All the pundits had us down for a real drubbing,” said Rotherham boss Warne.
“But the lads went toe to toe with an amazing team and can take a lot of credit.”