Pablo Hernandez was sensational as Leeds United battled to a win at the weekend.
The Championship promotion race is looking set to go right down to the wire, and it is making a lot of Leeds fans very nervous.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been a revelation this season. With only a few tweaks to the squad, Bielsa has turned the Whites into a real force immediately after a mediocre campaign, and now they will go back to the top of the table with a win against QPR on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, following their hard-fought win against relegation-threatened Bolton at the weekend, the Elland Road faithful are becoming somewhat anxious about how Bielsa’s men will fare in the race.
It remains to be seen if the Bolton win was proof that Leeds now have that quality of being able to win when well short of their best or was the performance of a team that is running out of steam.
But one thing that was made abundantly clear during the victory was that Pablo Hernandez is undeniably Leeds’s key man during the promotion race.
The Spaniard was superb against the Trotters, gliding around the pitch in the manner that leaves Leeds fans wishing that he arrived at Elland Road 10 years ago.
Leeds were challenged to stand up and fight by Bolton’s physicality. And yet, when Hernandez had the ball, it appeared to be an entirely different game. It was a remarkable display of composure from the 33-year-old.
And with seven goals and 10 assists in the league this season, it may not be a controversial statement by any means, but if Leeds are going to go up this term, surely Hernandez will end up being the player who the Whites faithful owe the most gratitude to.
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