Aston Villa 0 Leeds United 3 - Patrick Bamford has last laugh with a hat-trick

Do not get Patrick Bamford angry.
Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (left) scores his side's first goal. Picture: PA.Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (left) scores his side's first goal. Picture: PA.
Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (left) scores his side's first goal. Picture: PA.

Tyrone Mings did at Villa Park last night, and perhaps sparked the centre-forward into the first hat-trick of his Leeds United career, scored in under 20 minutes.

Bamford had already got the ball rolling with a poacher’s goal by the time Mings wound him up, but his second goal was that of an angry man, his third of one brimming with confidence.

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Playing ahead of the rest so early in the season, no one should read too much into the fact that Leeds are third in the Premier League this morning, but the quality of their football should not just make others sit up and take notice, but positively tremble. With a razor-sharp Bamford on the end of it, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (centre) celebrates scoring his side's second goal.Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (centre) celebrates scoring his side's second goal.
Leeds United's Patrick Bamford (centre) celebrates scoring his side's second goal.

An Aston Villa side whose 100 per cent start to the season had been built on a rock-solid defence could not get close to them in the second half.

The Whites had learnt from their mistakes of Monday night against Wolves. Bamford, the man who was not supposed to be a Premier League striker, has now scored six top-flight goals this season, all away from home.

How Mings must be regretting grabbing Bamford by the scruff of his shirt and throwing him to the ground. The red card video assistant referee Stuart Atwell could have given him would have been a lesser punishment.

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Whilst their football was brilliant against a team looking to go top of the table, at half-time, the game was in the balance.

As against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, it had not resulted in a goal, just Ezgjan Alioski putting their only shot on target straight at Emiliano Martinez after 60 per cent of possession.

Bamford had actually been the most guilty party, wide with a diving header early in the half and a chance laid on by Jack Harrison at the end of many blitzkrieg counter-attacks just before the break.

Leeds were quicker out of the blocks and two changes made by Marcelo Bielsa proved influential in the early stages – for good and for bad.

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With Liam Cooper missing again, a reshuffle saw Alioski come in at left-back and the winger’s natural tendencies added to the positive vibe around their football – not that they are ever negative under Bielsa.

It was his excellent fourth-minute cross a diving Bamford headed wide and Leeds dominated down their left all night.

Pascal Struijk, pushed into midfield to deputise for Kalvin Phillips as Leeds reverted to their more familiar 4-1-4-1, was also having an eventful night – but sadly for him, not for long.

He was booked in the tenth minute for a foul on Jack Grealish and was fortunate not to get another for a foul on Douglas Luiz a minute later. It was to the Belgian’s credit that soon after he started another move – again leading to an Alioski cross, from which Rodrigo’s effort was deflected – but the die was probably cast for Struijk by then. In the 22nd minute Jamie Shackleton was brought on in his place.

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Through no fault of the youngster’s brilliant performance, Villa started to take the confidence for their only spell of pressure.

Twice Robin Koch gave the ball away – Ross Barkley shooting at Illan Meslier, who had to be quickly off his line to deny Trezeguet. Luke Ayling, moved into the centre of defence, did well to make up for his 26th-minute mistake. Robbed by Ollie Watkins, he got back to clear off the line from Grealish.

Rarely in a Premier League match does either side not have their chance to shine, but Leeds shrugged it off and kept persevering with doing the right things.

When the game restarted, Leeds kept plugging away down the left, Martinez saving from Harrison, Helder Costa having a shot blocked and Alioski shooting wide. Meslier tipped over from Ezri Konsa at the other end, but it was a rare second-half moment from Villa.

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When Shackleton played a marvellous pass after 56 minutes, Rodrigo and Bamford both diligently followed the textbook, the former shooting across goal, the latter gobbling up the rebound from the save and putting it just inside the post.

His game seemed to move up a gear when Mings brushed Bamford in the penalty area, whose exaggeration of the contact on his heel did not win over Atwell, and angered the centre-back so much he hauled him up by the shirt and threw him to the ground.

Minutes later Klich fed him at the end of a good run and from outside the area Bamford got the ball out of his feet and lashed a shot into the net via a nick off Mings.

It was almost as if Bamford meant it that way.

But the third was real playground stuff, Rodrigo picking out Costa with a pass to cut inside and feed Bamford. With four players around him, the striker just twinkled his toes and curled the ball in. Come on Patrick, let the others have a go.

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“It’s what you dream of growing up,” he grinned, clutching the matchball at full-time. Of course he was talking about his hat-trick but he could have been describing his side’s football too.

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Douglas Luiz, McGinn; Trezeguet (Traore 65), Barkley, Grealish; Watkins. Unused substitutes: Steer, Hourihane, Nakamba, Engels, El Mohamady, Davis.

Leeds United: Meslier; Dallas, Koch, Ayling, Alioski; Struijk (Shackleton 22); Costa (Raphina 83), Klich, Rodrigo (Hernandez 79), Harrison; Bamford. Unused substitutes: Poveda, Roberts, Casilla, Davis.

Referee: P Tierney (Wigan).

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