OPINION
It took Bristol City going down to ten men for Leeds United to make a breakthrough, but Marcelo Bielsa’s side managed to pick up all three points in a 2-0 win over the Robins at Elland Road on Saturday.
Leeds struggled to create many clear chances in the first-half but Josh Brownhill’s second yellow card in the 55th minute made an opening for the Yorkshire giants and they seized the opportunity.
Kemar Roofe and Pablo Hernandez were both on the scoresheet as the Whites moved up into a temporary second place in the Championship and there was a lot to learn about Bielsa’s men as they got back to winning ways.
Here, This is Futbol has rounded up three things we learned from Saturday’s action at Elland Road.
Leeds do not need to waste money on new goalkeeper
Will Huffer came in and made his debut for Leeds due to Bailey Peacock-Farrell’s ill-timed injury. Jamal Blackman was sent back to Chelsea from his loan at Elland Road after breaking his leg in the international break, leaving Peacock-Farrell as the Whites’ only senior goalkeeper. 20-year-old Huffer had never made an appearance for Leeds but was in the starting line-up on Saturday and did a very, very solid job. Young goalkeepers dream of keeping clean sheets on their debut and that’s exactly what Huffer did. Once Peacock-Farrell is back to fitness, Huffer can be Leeds’ number two and save the club a lot of time and money on finding a replacement for Blackman.
Forshaw must be axed
Adam Forshaw is a very solid midfield player, but he lacks creativity and the cutting edge of Samuel Saiz. Yes, the Spanish playmaker had been in poor form before Bielsa decided to drop him, but Forshaw should be used sparingly and maybe just as a substitute to help see games out. Saiz has come off the bench in his last two appearances and supplied two assists. Bielsa would be crazy to continue overlooking the former Huesca ace for upcoming fixtures because he simply creates goals and opportunities for fun. Forshaw doesn’t, and that is why Bielsa must axe the s£4.5million January signing (BBC Sport) as soon as possible.
Halme must play more often or he’ll come to nothing
Huffer wasn’t the only player to earn his debut for Leeds in the win over Bristol City as colossus centre-back Aapo Halme was also included in the senior side’s starting line-up for the first time. In fact it was the first time that the Finland Under-21 international had been in a matchday squad for Leeds since signing from HJK Helsinki in January. Halme has been underused though and if Bielsa continues to overlook him then he won’t reach his high potential. Victor Orta signed him for a reason last season and he proved on Saturday that he is good enough to say goodbye to the Under-23s and play men’s football from now on.