Blackburn 1 Leeds Utd 2: Sol Bamba believes Whites have core for success

Goals from Bamba and Mirco Antenucci guided the Whites to a third successive league win for the first time since February, 2015 with Leeds spending Saturday evening in the top half of the table.

United’s prized assets such as Lewis Cook and Charlie Taylor are bound to have suitors in the summer but the club’s captain feels Leeds have the nucleus of a potential promotion-challenging side.

United are 12 points off the top six with 10 games left and Bamba knows United are approaching a hugely crucial summer.

“It’s difficult to talk about next season because you are probably going to have some players come in and some players are going to go,” said Bamba. “But I think what is important is to keep the core of the team and with performances like that it’s up to us to show what we can do to stay at the club.

“Obviously, the owner and the manager are going to try to do some adjustments and bring in some players and, obviously, we are going to be stronger for it.”

Leeds were good value for the victory and unlucky not to take a 16th-minute lead when Alex Mowatt’s beautiful 20-yard free-kick was brilliantly tipped wide by Rovers’ goalkeeper Jason Steele.

Blackburn then went close when Danny Graham raced clear one-on-one, only to be denied by a solid low save from Marco Silvestri.

It was Leeds who made the breakthrough just one minute later when Mowatt’s 34th-minute corner found an unmarked Bamba, who slammed the ball into the roof of the net.

Rovers offered little threat in return and United doubled their lead from a 69th-minute counter-attack that stemmed from a corner to Rovers.

Silvestri flapped at a dangerous delivery, but Leeds cleared their lines and Antenucci ran some 50 yards before dinking a precise finish over Steele into the bottom right corner.

After Craig Conway’s cross went inches wide of Silvestri’s post, Rovers set up a nervy finale when Jackson slammed home from an 89th-minute corner. United, though, survived eight minutes of stoppage time.

Bamba said: “In Leeds, in one week you are talking about going up, in another you are talking about going down. We need to try to win as many games as possible and see where that is going to take us.”

Blackburn Rovers: Steele, Marshall, Duffy, Hanley, Spurr, Lenihan (Grimes 75), Akpan, J Gomez (Conway 70), Bennett, Watt (Jackson 63), Graham. Unused substitutes: Raya, Brown, Ward, Evans.

Leeds United: Silvestri, Berardi, Bamba, Bellusci, Taylor, Diagouraga (Murphy 90), Bridcutt, Mowatt (Dallas 73), Cook, Antenucci, Doukara (Wood 85). Unused substitutes: Grimes, Wootton, Murphy, Carayol, Botaka.

Referee: K Stroud (Hampshire).

Man of the match: Toumani Diagouraga.