Leeds United 1 — Leicester City 4
The Whites get taken to school
Leicester City took Leeds United to school today. Yes, the ten-day break made it hard for Leeds to find their game — they did so once the second half began — but Leicester is a Premier League team playing at the top of their game. They won at Arsenal, they won midweek in the Europa League, and they never gave Leeds a real sniff in this game. That’s why they are now second in the table and Leeds is facing a brutal week of Marcelo Bielsa trying to teach them the errors of their ways.
Of course, after so long out of the top flight, these are the kinds of games Leeds fans should expect. They do have the quality to beat Aston Villa 3–0 and to play Liverpool close, but if things are not going well on the day, they can also lose 1–0 to Wolves and 4–1 to Leicester. Both at home.
Fans might have helped that.
Leeds had a great chance just two minutes in, a series of short deft passes leading to a short header to Patrick Bamford two yards out, but he could do nothing but send it softly to the keeper. Leicester immediately countered up the right, leaving most of the Leeds defense behind. Robin Koch was able to get a back pass towards Meslier, but it was weak and easily intercepted. One pass, and it was James Vardy laying it off to Harvery Barnes for an easy goal.
This wouldn’t be the last time Leeds got caught ball-watching and not getting back on defense. Another weak giveaway by Leeds led to another Vardy shot, which Meslier knocked away. Unfortunately, Luke Ayling was standing completely still; he had an awful game. Tielenman simply ran in and tapped the ball for the easiest goal he’ll ever score.
The Whites were able to hold things together for the rest of the half, and even had a decent chance following a nice Ayling run towards the center of the Leicester box. He slipped a wonderful pass into a free Bamford, but he scuttled the first touch and the chance was gone.
The second half started brilliantly with Leeds taking the game to Leicester. It led to a corner, which Leeds took short. Stuart Dallas sent a long diagonal cross into the box that no one touched. Not even the City keeper. Just like that, 2–1 and Leeds had hope.
But they never really troubled the Leicester defense. Leeds begin most attacks with Ayling on the right but they then try to shift to Harrison on the left. He was kept off the ball most of the game. Leeds seemed to have few other options. In the 55th minute, Pablo Herandez took a beautiful curling right-footed shot that hit the upper-right of the crossbar, but that was the closest Leeds was to get the rest of the way.
Leicester has been perfect on the road, and Leeds has had difficulty at home. They play at Crystal Palace on Saturday, so another quick turnaround they hope goes as well as the last time. Then it’s another long layoff, twenty-one days. That ends with Arsenal coming to Elland Road. The next lesson Bielsa has to teach his class is how to deal with not playing matches for long periods. They are going to have a lot of these breaks during this season. They are going to have to improve mightily to survive this season.
