MX23RW : Sunday, November 24 20:22:24| >> :120:13963:13963:
[monks data]
Leeds logo
Premier League | Gameweek 18
Feb 23, 2021 at 6pm UK
Elland Road
Southampton logo

Leeds
3 - 0
Southampton

Bamford (47'), Dallas (78'), Raphinha (84')
Raphinha (85')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Vestergaard (26'), Djenepo (83')

Marcelo Bielsa hails "spontaneous" Raphinha after Southampton win

The Brazilian starred in the Whites' 3-0 win over Southampton.

Marcelo Bielsa said there was little he could teach Raphinha, who turned in another eye-catching display in Leeds' 3-0 home win against Southampton.

Patrick Bamford's 13th Premier League goal of the season and Stuart Dallas put Leeds in control before Raphinha curled home a sublime free-kick in the closing stages.

The Brazilian winger laid on a host of chances for his team-mates as Leeds climbed back into the top half of the table.

"I sincerely think that I can add very little to his game," Bielsa said. "The best thing you can do with players who are so spontaneous is to let them be themselves."

The 24-year-old is widely regarded as one of the steals of the season after signing from Rennes in October for £17million plus add-ons.

He showed why against Southampton by combining his ability to glide by opposing defenders and provide accurate crosses with an insatiable work-rate.

"He's a player who unbalances (the opposition) by himself, he's very ambitious, very competitive," Bielsa said after his side secured their 200th Premier League win.

Leeds United v Southampton – Premier League – Elland Road
Raphinha curls home a free-kick (Gareth Copley/PA)

"It's a mixture that's not very common because he works a lot and on top of that he's creative and can unbalance."

Bielsa also praised another summer signing, Spanish defender Diego Llorente, who made his home debut after a series of injuries had restricted him to just two appearances.

"Evidently Llorente is a player with hierarchy," Bielsa said. "And in a game like today when the opponent used different strikers, the majority of them with quality, his contribution was very necessary."

Dallas celebrated his all-important second goal by holding up a t-shirt in tribute to injured team-mate Kalvin Phillips' grandmother, Val Crosby, who died last week.

'Granny Val' had endeared herself to the Leeds squad, Bielsa and his staff during their promotion-winning campaign and also appeared in the Amazon documentary Take Us Home.

"For us Phillips is a player we love a lot," Bielsa added. "He's an emblem of Leeds United.

"After we got promoted the figure of Kalvin's grandmother became known to the public and we started to all care about her.

"She was a very charismatic and very attractive person to those who knew her, we regret deeply that she's no longer with us and of course the loss for Kalvin and for all his family."

Leeds United v Southampton – Premier League – Elland Road
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl looking animated on the touchline during the game (Laurence Griffiths/PA)

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, whose side's winless league run was extended to eight matches, felt Bamford's 47th-minute opener proved decisive.

He also rued an effort from Che Adams, which was ruled out just before half-time after referee Andre Marriner claimed he had not blown for a free-kick to be taken.

"You can say these were decisive, but we had still enough time to turn things around," Hasenhuttl said. "But after the first goal we had the first chance on the other side we had not the right game plan any more.

"We left what we had in the first half, they had no chances, we were dominating. (Then) we gave it away in a way that was much too easy."

Hasenhuttl added: "We were the worst team in the second half of the season, we don't play like a winning team at the moment."

ID:436494: cacheID:436494:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9155:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Bruno Fernandes scores a penalty for Manchester United against Newcastle United in the Premier League on February 21, 2021
Read Next:
PL Team of the Week - Fernandes, Rashford, Pickford
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Vikings
@
Bears
6pm
Lions
@
Colts
6pm
Patriots
@
Dolphins
6pm
Buccaneers
@
Giants
6pm
Chiefs
@
Panthers
6pm
Titans
@
Texans
6pm
Cowboys
@
Washington
9.05pm
Broncos
@
Raiders
9.25pm
49ers
@
Packers
9.25pm
Cardinals
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds1695228121632
2Sunderland1695226121432
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd1610422191232
4Burnley168621961330
5Middlesbrough1683529191027
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom166821811726
7Watford168262524126
8Millwall166641914524
9Blackburn RoversBlackburn156451917222
10Bristol City165742020022
11Derby CountyDerby165562020020
12Stoke CityStoke165561920-120
13Norwich CityNorwich164752524119
14Swansea CitySwansea165471414019
15Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds165471826-819
16Luton TownLuton165381826-818
17Coventry CityCoventry164572223-117
18Oxford UnitedOxford Utd164571924-517
19Plymouth ArgylePlymouth164571728-1117
20Preston North EndPreston163761624-816
21Cardiff CityCardiff164481524-916
22Hull City163671621-515
23Portsmouth152671628-1212
24Queens Park RangersQPR161871326-1311


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!