‘Killed us’: Leeds did something Hasenhuttl thought was ‘very clever’ against Southampton

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Ralph Hasenhuttl admits Southampton couldn’t deal with a “very clever” Leeds United side that cruised to a 3-0 win at Elland Road last night, speaking to Leeds Live.

On a night in which La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid hosted Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in the Champions League knock-out stages, the real entertainment could be found in West Yorkshire.

Leeds were at their ravenous, remorseless best during a stunning second-half performance that blew Southampton away in style.

Patrick Bamford, Stuart Dallas and the masterful Raphinha all produced laser-guided finishes as Marcelo Bielsa’s dazzling, dizzying side moved to within touching distance of Everton in the European places.

But while Bielsa is football’s ultimate purist – a tactician who appears to place aesthetics over success – that’s not to say the Argentine isn’t afraid to delve into the dark arts when required.

“They were very clever. They always stopped our counter-attacks with a simple foul in the midfield. That stops everything,” said Hasenhuttl, speaking after a seventh defeat in eight league games.

“They do it very smart and they have been nasty today – we haven’t been. They were nasty in the first half, we were nasty in the first half but we weren’t in the second. We were a nice opponent.

“We missed chances and gave them the three points. Very easy.

“In the second half they were the much better team and killed us with one-against-one quality and with more energy in the second half,” the former RB Leipzig coach adds.

“This was the reason why we lost today.”

While no-one would suggest Leeds are ‘easy’ to play against – this is a team that plays murderball on a weekly basis – there was always a nagging feeling Bielsa’s side needed to add a street-wise streak to their game.

‘Tactical fouls’ are the definition of a necessary evil, a tactic employed by Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp to name but two.

And if Leeds are going to succeed with a free-wheeling style of football, stopping opposition attacks before they begin – even if that results in a few cynical yellow cards – that’s surely no bad thing?