PINK Leeds defy Carrow Road mind games ...and Bielsa hails hero’s brain power
MARCELO BIELSA hailed Pablo Hernandez as the silent assassin who inspired Leeds to regain the Championship summit.
The former Swansea winger scored his side’s third goal, having already helped set up the first, as Norwich, who have painted their away dressing room pink, were swept aside.
Mateusz Klich and Ezgjan Alioski were the other scorers as Leeds moved ahead of Boro on goal difference.
Top spot is up for grabs again on Friday night when Tony Pulis’s Middlesbrough head to Elland Road in what promises to be a fascinating clash of cultures.
Of course, plenty of other managers have tried and failed to restore Leeds’ top-flight status but a revolution already appears to be underway under former Argentina manager Bielsa. And he made it clear that with a player like Hernandez at his disposal Leeds will always have a chance of finally going all the way.
“He is a complete player from every perspective,” Bielsa said. “I think he can make me a better head coach because I see solutions in the decisions he is taking that I only saw very few times during my career.
“He is a real silent leader. He always takes responsibility for the difficult things. He does all this without saying a word.”
Norwich hadn’t exactly sparkled in midweek, when they required two late goals to see off Preston, but made a lively start here.
Leeds were grateful to Pontus Jansson in his first league involvement of the season for a sliding block to deny in-form Teemu Pukki. But Bielsa’s boys soon clicked into gear to expose the hosts twice in five minutes, midway through the first half.
Tim Krul only delayed Leeds’ 21st-minute opener by parrying Alioski’s diving header from Hernandez’s diagonal ball to the left of the box –it went straight to Klich, and the Pole kept his cool to slot home.
Krul certainly won’t want reminding about the second, as Norwich were caught out on the left again. This time Alioski decided to go it alone, unleashing a shot that really should not have been allowed to go through the Dutchman at his near post.
Pukki had another go 10 minutes later but this time Kalvin Phillips made the block and, seconds before the break, Kemar Roofe was in the right place to nod away Jordan Rhodes’s header.
Samuel Saiz fired a chance into the side netting seven minutes after the break but Hernandez did make it 3-0 in the 66th minute, after cutting in and curling across Krul from the edge of the box.
“It is a disappointing result,” said Norwich head coach Daniel Farke. “It was 100 per cent possible we could have been the first team to beat Leeds.”