Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion played out a draw and, after the Elland Road game, Marcelo Bielsa and Slaven Bilic were seen in an embrace and conversation.
A number of Leeds United fans have been commenting on Twitter about Slaven Bilic’s complimentary comments about Elland Road head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
The Whites headed to The Hawthorns to lock horns with the Baggies in a highly anticipated Championship clash on New Year’s Day and the two high-flyers played out a 1-1 draw.
West Brom defender Semi Ajayi scored at both ends for a result which kept Leeds above Albion on goal difference and left both sides nine points clear of third-placed Brentford.
Bilic and Bielsa were seen in a long embrace and in conversation following the full-time whistle in the West Midlands and the Croatian was full of praise for his Argentine counterpart.
“I rate myself and I am a confident guy,” Bilic said after the game, as quoted by the Yorkshire Evening Post. “But Bielsa is Bielsa.
“It’s a privilege to compete with him and to talk football with him, especially when you feel it’s a two-way thing. He’s an unbelievable guy. It’s great to have him in the league.”
Last season, there appeared to be a fair bit of animosity between the various promotion challengers, so quite a few Leeds fans were happy to see such mutual respect between the division’s standout teams.
Here is some of the reaction on social media:
Leeds are next in action on Monday night as they head to Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup, while the Baggies play in the competition on the Sunday, heading to fellow Championship side Charlton.
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