Bamford and Raphinha march Leeds up table
LEEDS UNITED tend to be defined by their past but their future has become clearer and brighter this week. As they broke into the top 10, perhaps it has rarely looked better for almost two decades.
A day after Marcelo Bielsa dropped his strongest hint yet that he will sign a new contract to extend his stay for a fourth year, victory took Leeds to 35 points.
Excellent, energetic and emphatic, they have almost booked their place in next season’s Premier League with three months of the campaign to go.
Indeed, they have more points than they got in the whole of their last season at this level.
If it represents remarkable progress for a promoted team, so does the goals tally of Patrick Bamford (above, centre). He had an unwanted reputation for missing chances in the Championship but an opener against Southampton means only Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes have more Premier League goals.
Strange
Strange as it would have sounded 12 months ago, Bamford, with 13, is the top flight’s joint top-scoring striker.
No player has struck more for Bielsa in his long managerial career than Bamford and he was clinical when he met Tyler Roberts’ defence-splitting pass with a shot he angled into the far corner of Alex McCarthy’s net.
Goalscorer doubled up as goalsaver, Bamford clearing Jannik Vestergaard’s header off his own line. Stuart Dallas, another symbol of Bielsa’s alchemy, took the second goal superbly after a pass from Helder Costa, whose halftime introduction helped Leeds improve.
And yet they were all overshadowed by a rampant Raphinha. The Brazilian is shaping up as one of the signings of the season and he was scintillating, allying speed with skill.
He ought to have ended the evening with multiple assists and after being denied a goal by a candidate for the unofficial award for the tackle of the season, he scored one, bending a free-kick past McCarthy.
From Raphinha’s superb supply line, Roberts twice skied shots, Costa blazed over and Bamford and Diego Llorente had efforts saved by McCarthy.
When Southampton were caught on the counter-attack, Oriol Romeu was left isolated against the seemingly quicker Raphinha but made up several yards and produced a magnificent last-ditch challenge. Sadly for the Spaniard, who hobbled off in the second half, his heroics were in vain.
Defeat left Southampton with a solitary point from eight games.
Ralph Hasenhuttl rotated his attackers and gave Nathan Tella a first Premier League start. He seemed to cap it by winning a penalty. Referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot when Tella went down over Llorente’s challenge. Upon reviewing the evidence on the screen, however, he saw there was precious little contact.
It was relief for Llorente, whose spell at Elland Road had been an injury-hit, ill-fated affair.
Southampton were aggrieved when Che Adams had a goal disallowed, Marriner ruling he had not blown his whistle before James Ward-Prowse took a quick free-kick.
Illan Meslier later denied Stuart Armstrong, whereas there was no thwarting Leeds. (© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2021)