CHAMPIONSHIP Roofe falls in on Derby
Bielsa’s pressing game too much for Lampard
THIS stylish and ruthless demolition of Derby should serve notice to the rest of the Championship that Leeds have got something special going on.
Another contender for promotion pressed, bullied and beaten and after Frank Lampard had his first win as a manager last week, now he knows what it is like to lose.
He may have looked the part in his black suit but he and his players had no idea how to stop Leeds, whose manager Marcelo Bielsa has got his players so devastatingly on message so soon after taking over in mid-June.
Kemar Roofe was lethal in attack, his two goals supplemented by one each from Mateusz Klich and Ezgjan Alioski. It wasn’t all perfect though and goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell misjudged the flight of a Tom Lawrence free-kick to hand Derby their only goal.
We are only into the second week of the campaign, with 44 league games to play, but this one felt pivotal. The last time Leeds won their opening two league games, in 2009-10, they went on to win promotion to the Championship.
Bielsa was satisfied enough with the win over Stoke to name an unchanged team but Lampard made two changes from the side that beat Reading.
Fikayo Tomori replaced Curtis Davies in central defence and Martyn Waghorn, who joined from Ipswich for £5million on Wednesday, spearheaded an attack with Harry Wilson on the right and Lawrence on the left.
Mason Mount, on loan from Chelsea, scored on his debut at the Madejski Stadium and should have got another during Derby’s first attack of the game when Waghorn played him in but he wasted the chance.
Leeds needed just five minutes for their high pressing game to catch Derby out, Samuel Saiz and Kalvin Phillips again hassling and harrying to perfection. Derby fullback Max Lowe lost possession, Klich took control after Pablo Hernandez’s interception and bent a right- foot shot from outside the penalty area past Scott Carson.
The keeper should have done better, as should his opposite number Peacock-Farrell when his howler brought Derby level.
Bielsa, who spent most of the game perched on a bucket last weekend, made a rare stand to deliver his instructions, urging his players forwards at breakneck speed. They listened and from another high- tempo breakaway retook the lead.
Barry Douglas won the ball in midfield, set Alioski free down the left and the Macedonian found Roofe who headed past Carson.
Derby had chances to get back into the game through Waghorn and Craig Bryson before Roofe and Alioski applied the killer blows.
Roofe turned cleverly in the Derby area and smashed his shot high into the roof of the goal. Roofe then drew the Derby’s defenders before playing the ball to Alioski, who sent Carson the wrong way with a header.