PULIS: NOW KEEP IT GOING, PATRICK
PATRICK Bamford’s suitability for a central striking role may have been dismissed in the past but the Middlesbrough hitman gave a glimpse of the talent that once saw him crowned Championship Player of the Year as his hat-trick humbled limp Leeds.
In January, former Riverside boss Aitor Karanka remarked that he didn’t think the former Chelsea man, who hit 19 goals as he fired Boro to the 2014-15 play-off final, could operate as a lone frontman.
Against Leeds on Friday night, Bamford, who has regularly filled in on the left wing of late, was very much his side’s focal point and he struck three times to put Paul Heckingbottom’s visitors to the sword.
“Patrick is such a tremendous talent and it’s important that he maintains that kind of form,” said Boro manager Tony Pulis.
“He played up front at Sunderland [last month] for the last half-hour and got a couple of goals, and he has done the same here.
“Patrick deserves to get the plaudits for his three. He is a tremendous talent and needs to keep it going.
“But there were some good performances around the team. That was front-foot football – I like that. Move the ball quickly and have attempts on goal.”
Hat-trick man Bamford took his recent total to six goals in three games as Boro swept Leeds aside, striking twice in the space of five first-half minutes to shred the visitors’ already frayed confidence.
Leeds’ Samu Saiz had already blazed over the bar after Mo Besic’s challenge on Ezgjan Alioski had diverted the ball into his path before Bamford opened his account just past the half-hour mark.
Stewart Downing delivered from the right flank and Bamford timed his run to perfection to sweep home into the bottom right-hand corner past a despairing Felix Wiedwald.
Shortly afterwards, the jet-heeled Adama Traore embarked on a storming run from his own half and slid a pass into the path of Bamford, who hit a low left-footed effort that Leeds stopper Wiedwald let squirm under his body.
Ex-Barcelona wideman Traore would turn provider again as Bamford completed his treble in the 68th minute, although inadvertently. The former Spain youth international cut inside from the left wing and let fly, seeing his strike divert off the toe of Pontus Jansson directly to the feet of Bamford, who instinctively curled into the net to round off a fine evening at the office.
Defeat leaves Leeds with just one win in their last 11 Championship games and Heckingbottom was perturbed by the gulf in class he witnessed as his team were humbled with ease.
“We weren’t aggressive enough. The way Boro played upset us and we didn’t compete well enough,” said the Elland Road chief, who had named an unchanged starting XI as he looked to build momentum following victory over Brentford in his first game in charge.
“Getting beat is part and parcel of football but sometimes, how you get beat is important. We were second best, and that is what hurts. We got beat by the better team, and it’s always tough when you know that you’re second best by a margin.”
A passionate night at the Riverside saw tensions boil over, with six people arrested for a range of offences, including public order, possession of pyrotechnics and throwing missiles, both during and after the game.