Leeds United 5-0 Stoke City: Marcelo Bielsa's side regain top spot in convincing fashion
Leeds regained top spot in the Sky Bet Championship table in convincing fashion with a 5-0 victory over Stoke at Elland Road.
Mateusz Klich sent the Whites on their way with a penalty just before half-time but it was the second-half where Marcelo Bielsa's side truly came alive.
Helder Costa and Liam Cooper made it three before the hour mark while Pablo Hernandez, who put it another influential performance from the bench, scored the fourth with a well-taken effort from outside the area in the 72nd minute.
With the game coming to an end, Patrick Bamford's shot struck the inside of the post to conclude a five-star performance from the hosts. The result had added significance for Leeds who now sit a point ahead of West Brom and hold a better goal difference.
For Stoke, they are left one spot above the drop zone as Michael O'Neill looks to retain their second-tier status with four games remaining.
Leeds made two changes to the side that beat Blackburn as Stuart Dallas and Costa, who both returned from injury, started ahead of Ezgjan Alioski and Barry Douglas.
For Stoke, O'Neill made one change from the 4-0 win over Barnsley with Nathan Collins coming into defence for James Chester.
The hosts nearly took the lead with less than 30 seconds on the clock. Collins' attempted clearance fell into the path of Tyler Roberts, who brought the ball down before attempting to curl an effort into the far corner. Jack Butland was alert to direct the ball behind for a corner.
Leeds looked comfortable during the opening exchanges but nearly conceded the first goal when Ben White lost possession under pressure from Nick Powell. The defender brought his opponent down at the edge of the area and was shown a yellow card. The resulting free-kick was struck into the wall.
Stoke seemed happy to sit back and look to hit Leeds on the counter with Bielsa's side left grappling with the wet conditions. Patrick Bamford did come close for the hosts but his fierce shot flew over the crossbar with 15 minutes on the clock.
Leeds searched for a way past a well-drilled Stoke defence and they almost had their opener when Klich found space in the box. He turned and drilled a shot towards goal but, rather painfully, Bruno Martins Indi had his body in the way to make the stop.
Leeds were again denied a goal in remarkable fashion moments before the drinks break. Patrick Bamford's first touch took him through on goal and his well-taken chip over Jack Butland was denied on the line by James McClean. On the follow-up, Roberts' strike was stopped inches in front by Danny Batth. The Leeds bench, like the majority of the limited attendance at Elland Road, were left in disbelief that the ball didn't strike the net.
The drinks break, which came despite the temperature sitting at 10 degrees celsius with rain, failed to halt Leeds' momentum although they couldn't create as clear of a chance as the goal line clearances. Stoke, largely in their own half, posed little threat through small attacks of their own.
A shout of "dig in" from Batth was perhaps the best indication of Stoke's first-half approach. They were organised but couldn't string together a successful counter-attack during the first 45 minutes.
With the half coming to a close, Leeds were awarded a penalty. Tommy Smith brought down Costa with an unnecessary challenge as the winger drove into the area and referee Darren Bond had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Klich made no mistake as he sent Butland the wrong way with a cool finish into the bottom corner.
The half-time statistics had Leeds with 73% possession and four shots on target. The 2.01 xG for the hosts, compared with Stoke's 0.12, accurately reflected their dominance.
Stoke knew they had to come at Leeds in the second-half but they found themselves two behind in the 47th minute. Dallas linked up nicely with Hernandez, a half-time substitute, to play in Costa. The winger hesitated at first, which made it appear as if the chance was gone, but he poked the ball into the net past a helpless Butland.
Leeds wanted more, with Brentford and West Brom holding a better goal difference prior to kick-off, and they nearly had a third minutes later when Bamford struck the bar from close range. Stoke, who were set up to frustrate and potentially steal a winner, were in a situation they didn't want to be in.
Bamford again came close to a goal when his driven shot was blocked by the body of Butland. These Leeds chances all coming before we reached the 52nd minute.
Before the hour mark, Leeds got their third. The initial short corner was played around the box before they finally had opportunity to get a shot away. Hernandez, so influential for the Whites, found captain Cooper whose shot struck the inside of the post before hitting the net.
We hadn't even reached 60 minutes and yet, somehow, Leeds should have had a fourth. Dallas' low shot was saved by Butland but fell into the path of Klich; the midfielder could only fire high and wide from a tight angle.
Stoke pushed for a goal of their own but they nearly fell further behind as Leeds countered from a corner. Hernandez again playing a part as he found Harrison on halfway. He drove through the Stoke half and struck a left-footed shot that nearly caught Butland out with its movement in the air.
Stoke's defence was being carved apart as Leeds broke forward with ease and Hernandez grabbed the fourth in the 72nd minute. Costa again played a key part as his pull back found the midfielder, having been left by Bamford on the way, and he curled the ball into the bottom corner from outside of the area.
With the game in the final exchanges, Bamford connected well with Ayling's long ball over the top to finally beat the Stoke stopper with a finish from close range. Stoke will perhaps be feeling somewhat relieved their goal difference didn't take a further hammering.
But this was Leeds' day, who responded to the added pressure of playing after their closest rivals in perfect fashion with victory. They are now seven points away from a Premier League return.
Match highlights
O'Neill full of praise for Bielsa
Stoke boss Michael O'Neill was full of praise for Leeds and their boss Marcelo Bielsa after full-time.
“I’d be very surprised if they don’t go up,” said former Northern Ireland manager O’Neill. “They’re the best team we’ve played. We couldn’t deal with them physically.
“(Bielsa) has done an amazing job. Two years of work here and you can see that in the team.
“They’re hungry players. That’s key and we are a long, long way from where they are. It will take time to change that.
“Tonight you saw the difference between a team at the top and one which for two seasons has been at the bottom end of the table, a long way off where they need to be.
“We gave a decent account in the first half, but you can’t give them a leg up, which we did with the penalty. Once behind, it was always tough.”
Bielsa calm despite big win
Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa typically played down the effect Leeds’ convincing win could have on the race for a top-two finish.
“Every match is a new story,” Bielsa said. “What happened in the previous game is not definitive for the next one. Safety and confidence are not linked 100 per cent with the previous result.”
When asked if he was able to enjoy the closing stages after his side had assured themselves of victory, the Argentinian said: “It’s not exactly the word (that) I enjoyed it.
“It was a positive performance. The manager always values a positive impact. Being able to score at the end of the first half was very important.
“In the second half our early goal made it much easier for us, but in any case it was an exaggerated result.”
Follow Sporting Life on social - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLifeFC
Related football content
Responsible gambling
We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.
Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.