Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has told beIN SPORTS 11 (23/10/20 at 10:25 pm) that four Aston Villa players were ‘afraid’ to get ‘tight’ and ‘physical’ with Patrick Bamford as he netted his hat-trick goal on Friday night.
The four Villa players Hasselbaink is referring to are Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Douglas Luiz and Matt Targett, who let the Leeds man curl his effort into the top corner from inside the penalty area.
At that point, the game seemed to be in the bag for Leeds because their sheer work rate was proving to be too much for Dean Smith’s men, who had previously started the campaign with four wins out of four.
Added with Bamford’s second-half hat-trick at Villa Park, Hasselbaink also noted how, for at least 70 minutes, the home team couldn’t match Leeds’ tempo.
“There are four people around him [Mings, Konsa, Luiz and Targett] and they are all afraid to get really tight on him,” Hasselbaink told beIN SPORTS. “To get a little bit more physical.
“I think the tempo for 90 minutes, and definitely for 70 minutes, was very high for Villa. When you have to go to that extent, mentally you are not thinking as quickly as you want to think because you are tired.
“Your legs have gone a little and that has been the difference, especially during the last 20 minutes.”
During the first 45 minutes, it was a right ding-dong battle between the two teams, and in truth, the opening period deserved a goal given the football that was played.
Villa started the second half in a strong fashion, including Grealish going on a sublime solo run, but thereafter, they were well and truly punished.
In the end, Leeds deserved all three points and the top of the Premier League table now has an old school feel to it.
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