Leeds suffered a 1-0 defeat to QPR at Loftus Road on Tuesday night.
Seven straight Championship defeats saw QPR go into Tuesday night’s clash against Leeds United as massive underdogs – but England’s second tier is never simple as that as QPR earned a 1-0 win, leaving Marcelo Bielsa in despair.
Dominating the first half, Leeds could not find the killer blow at Loftus Road with the first goal seemingly crucial in what was likely to be a low-scoring affair. The Whites have failed to score more than two goals in a game since December.
Returning to the pitch after half-time, Leeds will have been given instructions and motivation from their experienced manager to go on and earn three points – and return to the summit of the Championship table.
But Luke Freeman’s hammer blow came in the 49th minute, flicking the ball past Kiko Casilla. It was the best time to score for QPR, and the worst for Leeds. The Yorkshire side huffed and puffed, but had to settle for a defeat.
Yorkshire Post photographer Bruce Rollinson uploaded a picture after the match, showing a downtrodden Bielsa hunched over in the QPR tunnel, looking into his lap and seemingly trying to understand the defeat. It simply shows just how much he cares.
There is no doubt that Bielsa – a man who has managed at the top end of the game with Argentina and Athletic Bilbao – is passionate. But the picture shows just how desperate he is to deliver Premier League football at Elland Road.
The Yorkshire Evening Post quoted Bielsa as taking about his future before QPR: “We draw the conclusion at the end of the season to see if we fulfilled the goals or not and we will take a decision from there.”
But his emotion and drive is clear to see in that picture, and will delight Leeds fans to see a man hellbent on taking Leeds back to the Premier League for the first time since their relegation in 2004.
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