Ezgjan Alioski opened the scoring for Leeds against West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town, thumping a volley into the bottom corner after a half-cleared corner fell to him on the edge of the area.
The winger’s goal, his third of the season so far, marked the first moment of real quality from Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who struggled to get into their usual rhythm inside the first 45 minutes.
A strike of the highest quality, it set United on their way to their sixth successive league win, taking them to the top of the Championship table ahead of West Bromwich Albion’s clash with Swansea City on Sunday.
“It’s not easy to take it like this, but I wanted to do it and I wanted to score. We deserved 1-0 because we had the better chances,” Alioski told Sky Sports after the match.
The 27-year-old’s celebration in the aftermath of the goal proved to be a point of some controversy, with some suggestions his hand gesture was derogatory.
However, when asked in a post-match interview with Sky Sports about the celebration, the forward was quick to quash the claims, confirming he was pointing at the general manager, Matt Grice, on the bench due to Movember.
“It was for the manager because he got a moustache [for November] and he didn’t want to shave. It was a celebration for him, not a gesture for other things,” he said.
