Read Louise Taylor’s match report from Elland Road below. Thanks for your company. Bye!
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Chewing gum, Bielsa, who insisted on conducting his post-match interview in broken English, talks via his translator. “I’m only happy at the end,” he says, asked about his stone-faced reaction to Leeds’s three goals. On transfers, with Thursday’s deadline looming, he adds: “I am happy but we need some more players.” As for the atmosphere inside a rocking Elland Road? “It was moving.”
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Kemar Roofe, panting after an inspired performance up front, says: “I think it’s a massive statement but we’re not getting carried away. He [Bielsa] drilled us for six weeks of hard work and everyone’s struggling at the end of the game which shows it’s been hard work.” Liam Cooper, the captain, adds a thudding dose of perspective: “We’ve done nothing. We started well last year, so we will learn our lessons from that.” Cooper and Roofe are congratulated off the pitch by Andrea Radrizzani, the beaming Leeds owner.
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Full-time: Leeds United 3-1 Stoke City
A dream start to life under Marcelo Bielsa but also a brilliant performance, brimming with intensity and vigour. Leeds were superb, Stoke pretty dire.
90+3 min: Hernandez plays a stinging cross into the box but it’s too quick for Harrison, the substitute, who cannot make any contact to glance home.
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90+2 min: Berardi concedes a corner and the ball drops to Allen’s feet a couple of yards out ... but Peacoack-Farrell makes an instinctive save to keep it out. Leeds zoom up the other end through Dallas but, once the attack breaks down, they recycle possession.
90 min: There will be five added minutes.
88 min: Leeds thump the ball downfield and it’s surely job done now, as Alioski’s replaced by Jack Harrison. Bielsa does not made an ounce of eye contact with either Alioski or Saiz as they leave the field, instead letting his myriad of assistants embrace them.
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86 min: Alioski is down with what presumably is cramp after an afternoon at full-tilt. Moritz Bauer, the Stoke defender, lends a helping hand. Saiz is also grounded after a tough challenge but he’s coming off anyway, with Lewis Baker on for his Leeds debut.
85 min: McClean does well, battling his way down the left flank, jumping over challenges from Phillips and a cruncher from Berardi. But he doesn’t really have anything to show for it, and Leeds usher the ball out for a goal-kick. Stoke might feel shortchanged but Leeds have not given them a sniff, barring that penalty.
84 min: Chance for Stoke! Crouch peels off his marker to reach a deep cross, and he heads back across goal to force Peacock-Farrell into clambering to his right to get fingertips on it, with Allen ready to pounce.
82 min: Allen looks exasperated after failing to eke a corner out of a ruthless Leeds operation. Penalty aside, Stoke have been totally stumped here.
80 min: Kalvin Phillips flies in on Darren Fletcher on halfway and he looks a little sheepish as the referee has a word with him. The Leeds midfielder gets off lightly.
77 min: ... no, McClean takes it and Peacock-Farrell, though not too convincingly, pushes to safety. The ball cannons back in towards Crouch, who rises above the Leeds goalkeeper to cause some panic. It drops to Martins Indi but his header lands on the roof of Peacock-Farrell’s goal. On target, that might have been 3-2.
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76 min: Stoke win a free-kick, 25 yards from goal. Bojan likes the look of it. Can he conjure up some magic?
74 min: And that’s Afobe’s last contribution, with Peter Crouch coming on. They are hardly like-for-like but, given half a chance, Crouch will be a threat. Leeds also tweak personnel, with Klich off for Dallas.
73 min: Cooper and Afobe collide as they both fight for the same ball. The striker comes off worse but is soon up on his feet. Meanwhile, Ayling’s down for Leeds.
71 min: Martins Indi sells Butland short with a simple back pass with Saiz lurking but the Stoke goalkeeper gets there to tidy up. Another scare for Stoke. Stuart Dallas is being readied down on the touchline.
70 min: Roofe stands up a clever cross for Alioski in the middle but Butland comes out to claim it. Down on the Leeds bench, there’s a bit of activity ...
68 min: “Mar-ce-lo Bielsa, Mar-ce-lo Bielsa!” loudly and proudly sing a section of sunbathed Leeds fans.
67 min: Roofe’s movement is proving a real problem for Stoke, who look statuesque in defence. Leeds’s tails are up once more and they’re trying all sorts of flicks and passes; Alioski curls a beautiful ball into the box, Hernandez unselfishly lays the ball off but Klich, who scored the opener, drives over. Lovely stuff.
64 min: McClean wins Stoke a corner which comes to nothing, with Bojan caught cold in possession and the ball runs all the way back to Butland who has to start over. Leeds get bodies behind the ball and, eventually, Cooper clears the ball with Afobe lurking.
63 min: Bojan and Darren Fletcher are on for Stoke, with Etebo and N’Diaye off. Both had endured pretty difficult afternoons, given the runaround by a Leeds midfield led by Klich and Hernandez.
61 min: McClean is livid after Ayling nips in to steal the ball away down the left. The pass from Etebo was a little light in fairness and McClean’s not a happy bunny. Rowett readies a couple of substitutes ...
60 min: That Cooper header has left Stoke shellshocked, while it has re-energised Leeds, with Bielsa barking instructions from the touchline. Cue a rousing rendition of Marching on Together.
58 min: A league-high fourteen assists for Douglas last season and he’s off the mark already for his new club.
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GOAL! Leeds United 3-1 Stoke City (Cooper, 57)
Douglas whips in a lovely, flat in-swinger, with captain Liam Cooper there to nod in at the front post. Simple, and Leeds have restored their two-goal lead.
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56 min: Douglas fizzes in a lovely ball for Ayling, arriving late at the back stick but McClean gets there to clear for a corner ...
54 min: Ince overhits a lofted ball downfield in search of Afobe, who has the courtesy to give his new team-mate a thumbs-up. At last, a bit of intent from Stoke, while Leeds’s movement continues to cause problems.
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GOAL! Leeds United 2-1 Stoke City (Afobe pen, 52)
Peacock-Farrell dives to his right and Afobe rolls it down the middle. Suddenly, it’s game on. That was pretty poor from a Leeds perspective, with some comical defending by Berardi and then a naive tug by Douglas on Ince giving the referee no choice but to hand Stoke a way back in. Can Leeds go again?
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52 min: Stoke win a penalty! Berardi twice fails to clear before Douglas drags down Ince. Afobe will take ...
50 min: McClean comes deep in search of the ball, knocking it back to Shawcross who is forced into playing it all the way back to Butland. Ah. Leeds, pressing like no tomorrow, are absolutely loving this.
49 min: Roofe is played in over the top and his pace frightens Martins Indi into backing off. Roofe scurries towards the byline before crossing – but no one in white is there to meet it. Hernandez then scoops in a decent free-kick but Berardi cannot get there.
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47 min: Peacock-Farrell lumps a goal-kick downfield but Stoke clear their lines. The second half has began a little like a basketball match, the ball toing and froing.
46 min: Leeds get things under way before Stoke probe forward. Allen is yet to find his range, with Klich this time sliding in to cut out another searching pass. Stoke badly need to find some kind of rhythm.
Gary Rowett has sent his Stoke City side out nice and early for the second half. It can’t get any worse, can it?
Down at Wembley, Manchester City are partying away after clinching the Community Shield:
Half-time: Leeds United 2-0 Stoke City
So far, so very good for Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds. Stoke have been nothing short of abysmal, abject in all senses but credit to Leeds who have harried them into the ground. Roofe has been particularly bright. As for Stoke, their midfield has been totally bypassed time and again, while an isolated Benik Afobe’s offered nothing.
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GOAL! Leeds United 2-0 Stoke City (Hernandez, 45+1)
It gets worse for Stoke. Pablo Hernandez runs on to a neat little pass on the edge of the box and his speculative effort breezes through the fingertips of Jack Butland, who really should do better. Leeds deserve it but a truly dreadful moment for Butland. Where do Stoke go from here? Leeds have been relentless.
41 min: Another near miss for Leeds, this time with Roofe twisting and turning on the right flank, eventually crossing for Alioski who beats Bauer in the challenge to head wide. For an experienced back five, Stoke have been all over the place defensively.
40 min: And now Roofe drills inches wide, after sliderule through ball by Alioski. Leeds have been fantastic, pulling Stoke’s defenders from pillar to post. Bielsa, perched on the drinks cooler, seems to be enjoying things anyway.
38 min: Alioski bullies Bauer into winning a Leeds throw deep inside the Stoke half. And when the ball falls to Hernandez on the edge of the box, he dinks a gorgeous ball with the outside of his boot in for Alioski, who volleys at Butland. In the end, it was pretty simple for the Stoke goalkeeper but that would have been stunning.
35 min: Joe Allen’s touch is poor and Roofe steals the ball away. As Stoke seek to win it back, Erik Pieters goes in high on Saiz, gifting Leeds a free-kick on halfway.
34 min: Pieters looks to slide in McClean but he delays the pass, it’s too slow and Ayling nips in. Stoke have not been given a sniff, other than that McClean-Afobe break a moment ago, though that was entirely of Leeds’s doing. Other than Berardi’s error, it’s all been very comfortable.
33 min: Shawcross pumps the ball long in search of Afobe but the ball fails to stick. So, back come Leeds, knocking it around nicely, much to the delight of the home supporters, who can barely believe what they are watching. They’ve totally dominated ...
31 min: Leeds continue to control proceedings, with Klich beavering away at Joe Allen.
27 min: Crikey ... right on cue, Berardi makes a real hash of a simple pass, doddling on the ball, allowing McClean to nip in. The winger drives forward, with Stoke two-on-one against poor Liam Cooper but the Leeds captain does brilliantly to ensure a frankly rather tame ball doesn’t reach an unmarked Afobe. Stoke should have made much more of that chance.
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26 min: McClean rants at the referee after Luke Ayling, much to his displeasure, wins a throw inside his own half. Nothing’s going to plan for Gary Rowett’s side.
25 min: Martins Indi makes life difficult for Roofe, whacking the ball out for a throw. Leeds are having it all their own way out there, though. Stoke just haven’t been able to get Afobe and co involved.
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24 min: Leeds break again down the right, again through Samuel Sáiz; he’s been really lively. Stoke clear their lines but they need to stop the supply to the Spaniard.
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22 min: Ince rattles the bar! A little space opens up on the edge of the box and he has just lets rip. It’s a beautiful effort and, out of nothing, Stoke very nearly almost found themselves an equaliser.
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19 min: Peacock-Farrell punches a straightforward Stoke corner clear before Pablo Hernandez sticks with his man, Joe Allen, to snuff out the danger as the ball dropped towards the back post. Leeds are playing like they’re possessed – they’re absolutely everywhere.
17 min: Leeds hound Stoke, who are forced to shift the ball back to Jack Butland and square one; a glorious sight for Bielsa and his staff.
16 min: Ince roars at the referee, adamant that his curling effort was deflected wide for a corner, before Leeds go up the other end with Saiz, who had drifted in behind Etebo, smacking an effort at goal.
GOAL! Leeds United 1-0 Stoke City (Klich, 15)
A dream start for Bielsa, who sits motionless on the bench as the Polish midfielder, very much a bit-part player last season, wheels away delirious. A slick counter by Leeds, with Saiz dancing his way past a sea of Stoke bodies on the edge of the box before sliding in Mateusz Klich who does the rest. And, with that, Elland Road erupts.
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13 min: Stoke need to put a foot on it, as they say, with Leeds gladly dictating the pace.
11 min: Roofe puts himself about, with the striker leading the press that Bielsa has doubtless drilled into them over the past five weeks or so. He – fairly – flies in to challenge Joe Allen and earns a mini-ovation.
10 min: Butland goes long in search of Afobe but Cooper gobbles it up. Leeds don’t properly clear their lines, though, and Barry Douglas mis-kicks the ball, giving Tom Ince a glimpse of goal, albeit from an acute angle. But, Douglas bites back at his man, sliding in on the Stoke winger before winning a goal-kick.
9 min: Back come Stoke, but Bauer’s pass forward is cut out. They switch from right to left, to McClean before Klich is fouled by Badou N’Diaye on halfway.
7 min: Stoke are trying to get a grip on the game, with N’Diaye sliding the ball across to Etebo who lets fly. His low effort is deflected wide off another Stoke shirt. Bielsa, crouched on the touchline, must be happy with this.
5 min: Big save by Butland! Leeds supporters again suck the ball forward, with Roofe striking straight at the Stoke goalkeeper after meeting Alioski’s cross. A frenetic start, and Stoke need to rally the storm. Roofe had another stab at it after Butland’s stop but it just ran away from him. That was a real chance.
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4 min: It’s played short, with Hernandez picking out Klich, with James McClean putting the ball out for a corner. It’s been very much a front-foot start by Leeds, who win another, with Alioski this time delivering.
3 min: Peacock-Farrell’s pass out to Cooper is not entirely convincing, with Afobe lurking – but Leeds get away with it. In fact, they go up the other end and win a throw-in, which Ayling will launch into the mixer.
2 min: Etebo and Joe Allen engage in a spot of head tennis on halfway, before Leeds again break down the right. Butland gets things swiftly on the move.
1 min: Ayling makes a bruising – but fair – challenge on Erik Pieters.
Peeeeeeeeep!
Liam Cooper rallies the troops in a team huddle, with Joe Allen kicking things off for Stoke, in a shade of deep purple. An early break down the right sees Etebo forced to head away Klich’s devious cross.
Before kick-off, a stirring minute’s applause for Paul Madeley, the former Leeds legend who passed away aged 73 last month.
Bielsa rushes out of the tunnel, cuddling his way along the touchline before taking his seat in the dugout. This has the makings of not only an intriguing match but a real brilliant occasion. Leeds are really up for this, while Stoke will fancy their chances of silencing all of the giddy excitement that surrounds Mr Bielsa.
The atmosphere at Elland Road has cranked through the gears. Both sets of supporters are in full voice with kick-off minutes away.
A stone-faced Bielsa, via a translator, speaks. It’s a pretty excruciating interview but, he says he is more excited than ever to be in the dugout (a little hard to believe) and that all of his squad were available, but he’s picked his best XI.
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A couple of miserable Stoke statistics: Stoke are winless on the opening day since beating Burnley in the Premier League in 2009-10, while Stoke are the fourth side Gary Rowett has taken charge of in the Football League – he has not won his opening match with any of the other three. The last time Leeds hosted Stoke? 2006, when Ricardo Fuller capped a 4-0 rout for Tony Pulis’s side.
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Gary Rowett speaks. He really does have a stellar squad to pick from, doesn’t he? In this division, at least. A bench of the likes of Ashley Williams, Darren Fletcher, Peter Crouch and Bojan tells us a lot, let alone a glance at the spine of this Stoke side. “We feel as though we are ready,” he says. “The tempo at which they have trained and moved the ball has been the best I’ve seen at any of my clubs. We need to back it up on the pitch.”
A quick recap of Saturday’s results in the Football League, with Brentford running in five and a marvellous comeback at Swindon:
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Headline team news: As Bielsa promised, Bailey Peacock-Farrell is preferred to Chelsea loanee Jamal Blackman in goal, with his fitness deemed superior, among other reasons. Pontus Jansson only returned to training this week after the World Cup with Sweden so starts among the substitutes, while new recruits Baker, Bamford and Harrison begin life at Leeds on the bench. For Stoke, a little surprise there is no Saido Berahino in the 18-man squad, especially given how Gary Rowett was talking about him this week:
Saido’s a player that has scored 20-plus goals in the Premier League and the drop down in the division might just give him that chance – it’s not going to be any easier – to feel less pressure in terms of trying to get those goals again. He’s worked diligently; he’s done everything we’ve asked of him and he is a talented player, a great finisher, a natural finisher. I think the challenge is to overcome some of those barriers which have stopped him scoring goals. He’s ready and raring to go
The teams!
Leeds United: Peacock-Farrell; Ayling, Berardi, Cooper, Douglas; Klich, Hernandez, Phillips; Saiz, Roofe, Alioski
Subs: Blackman, Jansson, Dallas, Baker, Harrison, Roberts, Bamford
Stoke City: Butland; Bauer, Martins Indi, Shawcross, Pieters; Etebo, Allen; Ince, N’Diaye, McClean; Afobe
Subs: Federici, Williams, Edwards, Fletcher, Crouch, Bojan, Diouf
Referee: Scott Duncan
Preamble
After a few nights kip in the bed he has at his office at the Leeds United training ground and making his players hoover up litter to get a feel for the graft that goes into supporters being able to shell out on hundreds of pounds of season tickets, the real work starts now for Marcelo Bielsa. The El Loco nickname has followed him everywhere he’s been, be the early years at Newell’s Old Boys or his time at Marseille, when he infamously sat a scalding cup of coffee or his two-day stint at Lazio. Still adjusting to the task at hand, the Argentinian has had ringing endorsements from Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino. “My admiration for Marcelo is incredible, in terms of his managing and as a person”, Guardiola said. “I think football is open to different styles and different point of views. That is attractive to the game.”
The 11th manager at Elland Road since 2013, Bielsa will try to awake the sleeping giant and try to succeed whereby a mishmash of names – from Dave Hockaday to Steve Evans and Uwe Rösler – have failed. At his pre-match press conference, Bielsa, assisted by his translator and confidant Salim Lamrani, went on the charm offensive, saying: “I think I’m at a club that’s bigger than I deserve. My goal is to show I deserve this opportunity but also that I’m not a demagogue. Footballers are a blend of three things; heart, mind and legs. You can’t convince them unless you truly believe what you say. I hope my work will be full of emotions.”
New arrivals Patrick Bamford, Lewis Baker and Barry Douglas, arguably the most impressive recruit of them all, will likely play a part as Leeds welcome Stoke City, another club to have pressed the reset button. Gary Rowett is mightily impressive but, given the embarrassment of riches at his disposal, including the England goalkeeper, Jack Butland, Darren Fletcher as well as new signings Oghenekaro Etebo (£6.35m), Tom Ince (£10m) and Benik Afobe (£12m) – the latter a serial goalscorer at this level – anything other than promotion this season will be nothing short of a disaster.
Kick-off: 4.30pm (BST)
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