The Whites moved into the top-half of the Championship with the three points.
Leeds United manager Garry Monk
Garry Monk has admitted that he was pleased to see his Leeds United side score from a set-piece in their 2-1 win against Barnsley after their recent struggles defending them, the Yorkshire Evening Post reports.
The Whites made a very slow start to the new season, winning just one of their opening six league games. And one of the main reasons for their poor form was their vulnerability when it came to defending corners and free-kicks.
Leeds United’s Kyle Bartley opened the scoring against Barnsley
However, the formation of a partnership between Kyle Bartley and Pontus Jansson has coincided with the Peacocks becoming a lot more resilient.
And after the former of the centre-back pairing opened the scoring against the Tykes from a Pablo Hernandez corner, Monk reflected on the progress the team has made working on dead-ball situations.
“It was nice to see us score from a set-piece offensively,” he said, as reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“We’ve corrected a lot of things defensively at set-pieces but I felt we had the players to be effective offensively as well. To score in that situation is pleasing.”
Pontus Jansson has been an excellent addition
It is arguably the pairing of Jansson and Bartley that has inspired Leeds’ improved fortunes defending corners. Bartley appears to have the kind of leadership that the team has needed while Jansson has been an enormous presence with the amount of clearances and challenges he has made.
And if they can continue to get things right in both boxes when it comes to set-pieces, United stand a great chance of continuing their promising run of form after the international break.
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