Bielsa frustrated at familiar pattern as Leeds United concede late to draw with Derby County

Marcelo Bielsa was once again left to rue the frittering of two points as Leeds United were denied a victory by an injury-time goal against Derby County.
Leeds United's Mateusz Klich after he missed a penalty against Derby County. Picture: Jonathan GawthorpeLeeds United's Mateusz Klich after he missed a penalty against Derby County. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Leeds United's Mateusz Klich after he missed a penalty against Derby County. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe

After totally dominating the first 70 minutes of their much anticipated rematch with last season’s foes Derby County, Bielsa’s men fell victim to yet another smash and grab raid as their opponents stole a point with their only shot on target.

Leeds somehow came away with only a 1-1 draw despite hitting the post, missing several gilt edged chances and also seeing Mateusz Klich crucially miss a second half penalty.

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A frustrated Bielsa said: “We multiplied what has happened to us a lot of times. We could have avoided this and should have won the game, but this has happened many times before.

“They only shot once in the whole match and we created between eight and 12 situations and chances.

“We played 60 minutes very, very good, maybe the best 60 minutes since I’ve been coach of the team. Then 15 minutes good enough, but in the last 15 minutes we did not control the match.

“We started to play long and we didn’t take care. But in the first 75 minutes we were the team that showed superiority. The team has to take care of the situation.

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“It is frustrating, we should have won all the matches we have played.”

Leeds looked pumped up for their revenge game with the team that knocked them out of the play-offs last season as they were quick to close down Derby defenders and reaped benefits early on.

Pablo Hernandez seized onto a loose pass in the third minute only for his cross to just evade Patrick Bamford in the middle.

Jack Harrison’s cross was then well defended after a similar good piece of chase by the United attackers.

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The first chance fell to Harrison as he saw his shot from close range blocked as he met a low cross by Hernandez.

Leeds went ahead in the 20th minute when Kalvin Phillips’ free-kick was played across the area by Bamford and after Stuart Dallas’s cross was saved by keeper Kelle Roos the ball rebounded into the net off Max Lowe for an own goal.

Roos managed to tip a Dallas shot over two minutes later, but was beaten by the marauding United right-back soon after, but the ball was cleared by a defender.

Harrison saw a shot from range beaten away by Roos as the Whites continued to dominate.

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It should have been 2-0 as Bamford went clear onto a ball over the top of the Derby defence, but he lobbed the ball over the crossbar as well as the advancing keeper.

Bamford went close again with a 20-yard shot that fizzed just wide and for all their domination Leeds had to settle for a slender one-goal advantage at the break.

The second half initially followed the same pattern and Bamford missed another good chance when he struck the post from close range after meeting a good cross by Dallas.

Dallas himself fired over after a turn in the box before Derby had their first effort on goal in the 55th minute, a Martyn Waghorn effort from outside the box that went well wide.

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The home domination continued with Bamford denied by Roos at the near post and then earning a penalty as his run in the area led to him being upended.

Up stepped Klich as he had done at Barnsley last weekend and he again sent the keeper the wrong way only to send the ball wide of the post.

The big miss seemed to affect the Whites as they failed to create another chance in the closing 20 minutes and began to back off, looking to keep what they had.

Derby were no threat, however, until the 89th minute when Matthew Clarke headed wide from a free-kick.

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In the second minute of injury-time the visitors launched one last attack and substitute Chris Martin found space in the area to fire past Kiko Casilla for his first goal in two years.

There was little time for United to hit back although they had a big claim for a penalty when Helder Costa went down in the box, but the shouts fell on deaf ears this time and the match ended in a huge feeling of disappointment - and deja-vu - for Leeds.

Match facts

(Lowe og 20)

Derby County 1

(Martin 90+2)

Championship

Attendance: 34,741

Leeds: Casilla, Dallas, White, Cooper, Alioski, Phillips, Hernandez (Douglas 73), Shackleton, Klich, Harrison (Costa 57) , Bamford (Nketiah 79).

Derby: Roos, Lowe, Keogh, Clarke, Malone, Bielik (Paterson 62), Huddlestone, Waghorn, Holmes, Jozefzoon (Knight 83), Marriott (Martin 73).

Referee: Oliver Langford.