Noel Whelan reacts to Patrick Bamford’s display in Leeds’ 1-0 win

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Leeds United returned to the top of the Championship with a 1-0 victory at Elland Road on Wednesday night.

Noel Whelan has told BBC Radio Leeds’ post-match coverage of Leeds’ win over Brentford (broadcast on 21/8; 22:02) that he was pleased with Patrick Bamford’s performance, and insisted that the fans should not be disappointed with his display.

With Eddie Nketiah breathing down his neck in the pecking order, Bamford would have been looking to build on the two goals that he scored in the weekend win at Wigan. But it proved to be a tough night for the 25-year-old.

He had a few chances, but failed to find the back of the net. And it was Nketiah who scored the decisive goal shortly after coming on in the latter stages of the second-half. There are likely to be plenty of Leeds fans imploring Marcelo Bielsa to hand Nketiah a start this weekend against Stoke City.

But Whelan insisted that Bamford impressed him in a lot of ways in the 1-0 win, and suggested that his performance would not deserve to be criticised.

“He’ll go home, he’ll sit down, he’ll have a think about [his performance]. But his overall game tonight I thought was good,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.

“He’s holding the ball up, he’s chasing down defenders, he’s bringing people into play, he’s making the right runs. He looks a lot sharper, fitter and stronger. And he’s scored three goals already in four games. So let’s not get on his back for this.

“He’s human. He’s going to miss chances. I’d be more worried if he’s not in those areas to miss the chances. They’ll come for him. He’s a goalscorer.”

It is a fantastic position for Bielsa to be in, with Nketiah scoring a goal in both of the games that he has played since arriving from the Emirates on the final day of the summer transfer window.

Bamford remains Leeds’ top goalscorer with three strikes in four games, and his overall record since his move to Elland Road remains impressive. When the side was plagued by injuries last season, Bielsa rarely had both of his two first-choice strikers available to him, so it is a selection dilemma that Bielsa will relish having.