Leeds climbs to third place after resounding victory

Aston Villa had not lost this season. Then came Leeds to visit.

Aston Villa 0-3 Leeds

Patrick Bamford fired a long shot on loose powder in Friday’s Premier League game, but the Leeds forward remained loose and dropped Aston Villa by three goals.

The home side held on to four wins from four attempts in the new season before Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side came over for a well-deserved 3-0 win. Bamford’s hat trick means he has a six-goal lead on the season.

– It is a dream come true. It was a great moment for me when third came in. This is a night that I am going to tell my children about. “I will never forget it,” Bamford told the BBC with a good grip on the ball.

– I was frustrated after the glitches in the first place, but I thought next time I’d put it. I have a manager who believes in me, and as long as I work hard, he will trust me.

A very offensive Leeds splashed the local goal with shots. Bamford had several attempts in the first half, but without causing major problems for Emiliano Martínez in the home goal.

After the break, he showed how to do it. In the 55th minute, an error by the local left defense allowed Rodrigo Moreno to go ahead and beat the local goalkeeper, adding another goal for the visitors.

If that ending was easy for Bamford, it was kind of the way he punctured the game 12 minutes later. Once again, it was a quick counterattack that paved the way. Mateusz Klich led the ball at high speed and overtook Bamford, who turned around and tried the shot from 18 yards. The ball flew to the crossbar over the crossbar.

In the 74th minute, Bamford went up 0 – 1 after an attack down the right caused by a defensive fumble. Villa’s defenders surrounded him, but he left room for a playful shot that flew into the corner.

Villa possibilities

Just before the first goal, Aston Villa had two great chances. First, Jack Grealish led the ball from his own half, passing three Leeds players and finishing inside the box, but Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier stepped in and blocked a corner.

After a brief fight with the defender, Ezri Konsa finally got the ball home.

It was not Villa’s first opportunity in the match. Midway through the first half, Leeds captain Luke Ayling fumbled in his own zone and Villa prepared Grealish for a shot. He sent the ball past the goalkeeper, but Ayling corrected his own mistake. He stood inside the goal, but threw his foot and cleared before the ball passed the line.

Otherwise, it was Leeds who created the most, but the chances weren’t great, partly because Bamford’s finishes weren’t sharp enough. Rodrigo also had a shot from a very good position that hit an opponent and went to the corner kick.

Power of action

Leeds manager Bielsa showed action when Pascal Struijk was in danger of destruction. Struijk received a yellow card for an ugly foul by Grealish in the 10th minute, and was able to get another a few minutes later when he worked hard against Douglas Luiz. After 20 minutes, Bielsa pulled him off the field and sent 21-year-old Jamie Shackleton to his place.

Bielsa’s team climbed to third place in the table and has already scored 12 goals in the first six league games. That’s the most for a newly promoted Premier League team since Middlesbrough 28 years ago.

Aston Villa would have stayed at the top of the table had there been points, but it is the point behind Everton, who are now the only undefeated team in the elite series.

(© NTB)