The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Bamford does the trick as Leeds end Villa’s perfect start
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa insisted Patrick Bamford deserves all the plaudits he receives after his hat-trick humbled Aston Villa on Friday night.
The 27-year-old’s secondhalf treble saw the striker become only the second player to score in each of Leeds’s opening three away games in a top-flight league season, after Gordon Hodgson in 1937-38.
It took his tally to six Premier League goals in as many games for the season as Bielsa’s team continued their impressive return to the top division with a 3-0 success.
Previously Bamford had only managed one goal in 27 appearances in the Premier League, although a large proportion of those were as a substitute.
Bielsa said: “We haven’t been doing anything different with him, he’s been doing exactly the same things he has always been doing, the only difference is now he is converting the chances.
“Everything that Bamford ge ts, he ge ts because he deserves it. From my point of view, he is a player with a lot of qualities and creates a lot of danger. If he continues to improve his efficiency then he will receive even greater plaudits.
“I am very happy for him, he deserves it.”
Bielsa made a change after only 21 minutes at Villa Park, replacing Pascal Struijk with Jamie Shackleton. The Argentinian admitted he took off Struijk – who had already received a yellow card in the 10th minute – before he got sent off, before going on to praise 21- year- old Shackleton’s contribution.
“He (Shackleton) entered the game very well, he was dynamic, he didn’t lose the ball and won the ball back a few times. He also had a presence in the opponents’ attacking third.”