Fair play rules as Bielsa orders his team to let Villa equalise
Leeds United missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League yesterday as manager Marcelo Bielsa insisted that fair play was more important than a victory in an extraordinary clash with Aston Villa at Elland Road.
A 1-1 draw meant Leeds’ Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United secured promotion, but Bielsa will draw praise for his actions after Mateusz Klich put his side in front in hugely controversial circumstances.
The Leeds players played on as Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia lay injured following a challenge by Liam Cooper. When it appeared Tyler Roberts was about to send the ball out for a throw-in, he instead played it forward for Klich, who – with the Villa players having stopped – ran on to score.
Furious Villa protests followed,
along with a mass melee during which Villa defender Anwar El Ghazi was wrongly red-carded for an elbow on Patrick Bamford. TV images indicated that there had been hardly any contact with the Leeds player, who dived to the ground.
At Bielsa’s insistence, the visitors were allowed to walk in an
equaliser and Albert Adomah obliged. Leeds captain Pontus Jansson almost intervened to stop Adomah scoring, as he appeared to disagree with his manager’s decision.
Bielsa was heavily criticised earlier in the season after admitting that his staff routinely sent spies to opposition training grounds in a bid to gain an advantage, but
he proved here that he has a strong sense of fair play.
The draw halted Villa’s tengame winning run, and the sides could yet meet again in next month’s play-off final.
Leeds almost snatched a winner in the closing stages as substitute Roberts’ shot was blocked before Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer brilliantly saved from Pablo Hernandez’s shot.