LEEDS PABLOW IT
‘This was an impossible match to lose, but we lost’, laments frustrated Bielsa
BEWILDERED Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa was at a loss to explain how his side were sunk by relegationstrugglers Wigan — for the second season running.
Pablo Hernandez’s unfortunate 59th-minute own-goal dealt a huge blow to the Whites’ title challenge.
And to make matters worse, defeat saw Bielsa’s team slip to second and rivals West Brom leapfrog them at the summit.
“This was an impossible match to lose, but we lost,” moaned a shell-shocked Bielsa (right).
“The single question is why we lost a match which we had to win? We should have scored at least one of the 15 chances that we had.
“After 15 chances we had another 10 situations where we didn’t create danger.
“No, there is nothing that makes me feel frustrated. Let’s imagine if West Brom lose today, well then we’d still be frustrated with the result.” Latics keeper David Marshall pulled off a fine point-blank save to deny Portuguese playmaker Helder Costa as early as the fifth minute. And then Jack Harrison rattled the right post with a stinging drive as the visitors rode their luck against the league leaders. Makeshift full-back Ezgjan Alioski rifled over as the hosts pushed hard for the opener, before skipper Sam Morsy forced a smart save from Kiko Casilla as the Latics carved out their first chance of the contest. Wolves loan ace Costa went within a whisker of scoring midway through the half, but his left-foot curler flew just over.
Harrison fluffed his lines from close range after a delightful pass from striker Patrick Bamford, but the Whites lacked a killer instinct in front of goal.
Bamford, unmarked at the back post, missed a Costa cross altogether as another chance went begging four minutes after the break.
Stuart Dallas blasted high and wide for the hosts before the Latics took a shock lead.
Casilla was foxed as Joe Williams’ corner deflected off Hernandez and flew into the net.
Bamford wasted another good chance with a miscued close-range volley, while the
Latics countered and Morsy forced a good low save from Casilla.
Defender Nathan Byrne made a superb block to charge down Hernandez’s goalbound shot, before Bamford’s lightweight header was headed off his own goal-line by Kai Naismith.
Bamford had another header cleared off the line, this time in injury-time by centre-back Cedric Kipre, but it proved a frustrating afternoon for Bielsa’s stuttering charges.
Ecstatic Latics boss Paul Cook, who masterminded a win at Elland Road last season, said: “It’s going to be a really tough challenge to stay up, but if we play like that then we’ll give ourselves a good chance.
“Leeds took control but I thought we defended manfully.
“I’m delighted for the players. We were 1-0 down at half-time in midweek [against Sheffield Wednesday], so to have finished the week with six points is brilliant.
“The victory gives us a great opportunity to stay up. If we keep winning games then we won’t have a problem.”