Leeds kick off Championship campaign with comfortable win

LONDON: Leeds gave an early signal of their hunger for automatic promotion to the Premier League ater last season’s play-off disappointment with a deserved 3-1 Championship victory at Bristol City on Sunday.

Pablo Hernandez fired the visitors into a 26th-minute lead when he took advantage of being let in too much space with a sweetly struck let-foot shot from 20 yards that picked out the top corner.

The impressive Patrick Bamford doubled their advantage with a close-range header shortly before the hour mark ater Hernandez had got past Callum O’dowda to cross from the right.

And any doubt about the outcome was erased on 72 minutes when a Mateusz Klich shot was deflected into the path of Jack Harrison, who fired in from close range.

Andreas Weimann grabbed a consolation for City 11 minutes from time when his low rightfooted shot from inside the area took a deflection past Kiko Casilla.

But it was a well-merited three points for Marcelo Bielsa’s team, who lost in the semi-finals of the play-offs in May.

Earlier, Promotion favourites Cardiff City and Fulham began their Championship campaigns in the worst possibly way ater respective defeats to Wigan and Barnsley.

Josh Windass picked himself up from missing a penalty to mastermind Wigan’s 3-2 victory over Neil Warnock’s Cardiff whilst Fulham fell at Barnsley 1-0.

Former Croatia national coach Slaven Bilic began with a victory as West Browmich Albion manager, they came from a goal down to beat Notingham Forest -- also with a new manager Sabri Lamouchi -- 2-1.

The Bluebirds got off to a great start in England’s second tier as Joe Ralls gave them the lead in the 20th minute.

It looked as if Warnock would come away with the three points when Wigan’s Windass missed a penalty early in the second-half, but he recovered to set up Michael Jacobs for the 59th-minute equaliser before scoring the second.

Omar Bogle got Cardiff back on equal terms against his former club with 20 minutes remaining only for Wales-born Lee Evans to rifle home a long range effort to restore Wigan’s lead five minutes later.

“It was nothing I wasn’t expecting, we know exactly how tough this league is,” said Warnock.

“I think one or two questions were answered today, if I’m honest, in my own mind.”