The English Premier League Friday fixture turned out to be a one-sided affair after Leeds United thumped Aston Villa 3-0 and outplayed the hosts at Villa Park.
Friday’s defeat saw Aston Villa’s four-match winning run coming to an end, while the victory was enough to see Leeds leaping into third ahead of rest of Premier League fixtures this weekend.
Leading striker Patrick Bamford bagged his second-half hat-trick to lead the way for the travellers, with all three goals coming in the second half.
http://gty.im/1229243838“It’s a dream come true,” Bamford said. “It is testament to how the team has worked, without them I wouldn’t be able to score and Marcelo Bielsa has put a lot of trust in me, it was important for us to bounce back from Monday.
“In the first half I missed two good chances, but once the first went in, I think it really settled us.
“The crucial thing was that we didn’t give up during any part of the game, in general, we controlled the game and we played it our way.
“The last time [I was in the Premier League] maybe people said I wasn’t ready, but I didn’t have a proper go at it.
“It’s a fresh start for me to prove I belong here and if I keep on doing it, the boys will be happy and I’ll be happy.
http://gty.im/1229243009“I think someone said Bielsa is a myth, but I think we have shown Leeds are here and are here to compete.
“I will be telling my kids about this night and I am sure I will never forget it.”
It was a barn-storming performance from Marcelo Bielsa’s side – who caught the eye with their lightning counter-attacks, neat one-touch football and an impressive 27 shots against an Aston Villa side that put seven past Liverpool a couple weeks ago.
Bamford had missed two glorious chances in the opening period, but soon put some demons to rest as he slotted home from an Emiliano Martinez’s save 10 minutes after the restart.
? “It’s a testament to how the team has worked, without them I wouldn’t be able to score”
— Leeds United (@LUFC) October 23, 2020
The next two quickly followed – his second from a sublime effort which found the top corner (66) before he completed his hat-trick with a scooped finish into the far corner (74).
Aston Villa will look back at some missed chances and wonder ‘what-if’. Jack Grealish had a shot cleared off the line by Luke Ayling in the first half before he and Ezri Konsa both went close early in the second period.
But Aston Villa were ultimately unable to deal with the direct play of Leeds United and miss the chance to go top of the Premier League table, remaining in second.
NEXT UP
Aston Villa will battle against Southampton in the next round of games next Sunday, Leeds United will play Leicester City next Monday.
