WOODGATE IS DONE 4
Leeds pile on misery for Boro boss
LEEDS romped back to the top of the Championship and heaped further pressure on former Elland Road favourite Jonathan Woodgate.
The Middlesbrough boss could only watch in horror as Marcelo Bielsa’s men scored twice in each half to make it a nightmare return to the club where he made his name.
And to add further insult to injury for the suffering Boro fans it was former player Patrick Bamford who was the star of the show, scoring the first and setting up the second as Leeds secured a fifth straight win.
It means they end the month with a perfect record and sit top of the pile, bit it was the manner of the victory that pleased boss Bielsa (right) the most.
“It’s important to go top but we all know there is a long way to go,” he said.
“We have to give some value to the current position but in a league like the Championship it is match by match.
When you win five matches, it’s good, but it is not just about winning, it’s about how you win.”
Leeds were ahead as early as the third minute when Bamford netted his seventh of the season.
The striker saw his first headed effort parried away by goalkeeper Aynsley
Pears but Pablo Hernandez was alert to the loose ball and his cross was perfect for Bamford to head in from close range.
It was 2-0 at the break when Bamford’s ball into the area fell kindly for Mateusz Klich whose shot wrong-footed Pears after a deflection.
The result was beyond doubt on 67 minutes when Helder Costa bundled his way into the area and fired home.
And Klich completed the rout with the goal of the game on 73 minutes, curling home a delightful effort into the top corner from just outside the area.
It’s now just one victory in 12 for Woodgate, who admitted the difference in class was clear.
He said: “Leeds are a really good team. The lads kept working but conceding early was a killer. It was poor defending.
“The goal in stoppage time in the first half was also a big turning point. I have tried to be positive with the players. I can’t knock the effort.
“Leeds have improved their squad massively, whereas we have lost players and replaced them with younger ones, from lower leagues. It’s difficult. But we keep going.”