Pablo Hernandez, Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison were all on target as Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United beat Bristol City in the Championship.
Former Leeds United captain Dominic Matteo could hardly be happier with Saturday’s 3-1 win away at Bristol City, reserving special praise for midfield duo Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw on talkSPORT.
On paper at least, Leeds could hardly have been handed a tougher start to the 2019/20 season.
Bristol City is not an easy place to go but Marcelo Bielsa’s side produced a performance full of verve and creativity to ensure they left Ashton Gate with three goals and three points to their name.
The evergreen Pablo Hernandez rolled back the years again with a glorious goal and an even better assist while the much-maligned Patrick Bamford capped an eye-catching performance with a second half header.
But Matteo believes that a lot of credit has to go to Phillips and Forshaw, who controlled the game from the centre of the park and provided the platform for Hernandez and co to shine.
“Great performance. Bielsa again played really attacking brand of football and on the counter they were absolutely outstanding,” Matteo said on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast (5 August, 9.30am).
“The midfield allows Hernandez, (Jack) Harrison and Bamford to get forward. Forshaw and Phillips are underrated for me. Forshaw when he’s in the team doesn’t get a lot of credit but if they get a real understanding they’ll be a force.”
There were certainly plenty of positives for Leeds to take out of their trip to the South West.
Bamford looked strong, confident and his hold-up play was much-improved while Harrison, similarly derided by some sections of the fanbase last season, also thrived in a more central position.
And the fact that no one was talking about departed cult hero Pontus Jansson after the game highlights how impressive Brighton loanee Ben White was during a debut performance full of class and composure.
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