Leeds United 2 Crystal Palace 0 – Whites assume rightful place in top half of Premier League

The imperfections of Marcelo Bielsa’s side are part of their charm, but they are in essence a good team. A top-10 finish in their first season of top-flight football would be a good staging post on the road towards where the club belongs.

Bielsa said before the game he would rather finish in the bottom half playing well than the top playing badly, but Monday night’s match at Elland Road gave plenty of hope he will not have to choose.

“It was very important for us to keep the ball and when we lost it, it was important for them not to create danger and I think we managed to do this,” said Bielsa afterwards.

“I think he fact we didn’t concede any goals was important. We didn’t suffer any chances in the first half and very few in the second. Although we didn’t attack as much, we generally caused them problems.”

Leeds showed at West Bromwich Albion at the end of last year they can put weak sides to the sword; they have given frights to some of the elite teams, and demonstrated at Everton and Leicester City they can beat those hovering just below.

Crystal Palace, though, are another prospect. Like Burnley, also beaten at Elland Road, they are streetwise and durable. It took just three minutes for Leeds to screw their gameplan up and throw it out of the window en route to a 2-0 win more comfortable than the scoreline let on.

Palace love to counter-attack and can be pretty good at it, as they showed at Selhurst Park in November, but were without the injured Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend was one of only six visiting substitutes, with nine possible.

Leeds love to press, and that was how their opening goal came about, harassing Palace in the corner.

Stuart Dallas found Jack Harrison, who had come in off the left, and his finish deflected off Gary Cahill, who was in for a tough evening.

First it was Patrick Bamford, who picked on him, forcing a good low save from Vicente Guaita in the 10th minute. The centre-forward beat Cahill to a cross and glanced a header, but slipped trying to get onto the rebound.

It would be a bit of a theme. Mateusz Klich was fortunate to still be on the field having seen his weight go one way as his studs stayed in the relaid turf.

Bamford beat Cahill to another cross, this one clipped by Dallas, in the 19th minute, then showed his confidence in the 22nd, intercepting a loose pass meant for the the former England centre-back, knocking the ball one side of him, then running the other. His chipped finish was terrible.

As the half wore on, Raphinha began to take the lead, not only in the game but in picking on poor Gary.

Having won a free-kick just outside the D midway through, the Brazilian curled it over. He produced the moment of the match, possibly one of the moments of the season, seven minutes before half-time with a backheeled nutmeg to beat his man, who pulled him down. You do not need to ask whose name Andre Marriner wrote in his notebook.

Pascal Struijk headed the free-kick over.

The pitch apart, that was the only complaint – that Leeds were not making their dominance count, and although an isolated incident, Illan Meslier’s save from Jordan Ayew was a warning.

There were groans when a pass from Kalvin Phillips, on his 200th appearance, aimed at Bamford failed to find him. Liam Cooper’s header was saved at a free-kick and Cahill blocked Raphninha’s effort.

Struijk’s miss at the end of the half was as bad as Raphinha’s skill was good, putting a diving header about eight yards wide from the middle of the six-yard line.

With Townsend introduced at the interval, Palace were starting to look more threatening until Leeds cruelly snuffed their hopes out seven minutes in.

When Raphinha collected Klich’s pass and forced a good save, Bamford followed up as a centre-forward should, and netting his 100th career goal. There have been 38 and counting in Leeds colours, none during his loan spell with Palace.

Klich’s excellent passing would be a real second-half highlight, a welcome return to form.

Palace were spared a third, Bamford’s header comfortable for Guiata, and Raphinha’s and Struijk’s not firm enough to bring him into play. Harrison thumped the crossbar with the outside of his boot.

The only fly in the ointment was Phillips coming off injured. That apart it was an excellent night for the Whites.

Leeds United: Meslier; Ayling, Struijk, Cooper, Alioski; Phillips (Shackleton 88); Raphinha, Dallas, Klich, Harrison; Bamford. Unused substitutes: Roberts, Casilla, Costa, Davis, Gelhardt, Cresswell, Jenkins, Huggins.

Crystal Palace: Guaita; Clyne, Dann, Cahill, Mitchell; Eze, Milivojevic, Riedewald, van Aanholt (Townsend 46); Ayew (Benteke 76); Mateta (Batshuayi 65). Unused substitutes: Butland, Kouyate, Kelly.

Referee: A Marriner (West Midlands).

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