Leeds boss Bielsa bemoans their failure to capitalise on chances
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa bemoans their failure to capitalise on ‘possession, dominance and chances’ after narrow defeat at Wolves
- Illan Meslier’s own goal prolongs Wolves’ unbeaten league run in February
- Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have taken 10 points from a possible 12 this month
- Leeds had seven shots on target but couldn’t beat home goalkeeper Rui Patricio
Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa felt his side had dominated the game but were made to pay for failing to take their chances after the 1-0 defeat at Wolves.
A freakish own goal by goalkeeper Illan Meslier and enabled the hosts to secure victiry and leapfrog their opponents in the standings.
The result left Wolves 11th on 33 points from 25 games, one more than 12th-placed Leeds who have a game in hand but missed several chances to come away with something from a fast-paced encounter at Molineux.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa insisted that his side dominated Friday’s encounter at Wolves
He told BT Sport: ‘There were very few moments of the game we didn’t dominate.
‘The offensive game we created was sufficient enough to score at least one goal.
‘In a game with small margins I had the feeling we were the superior side. We had 10 chances in the game.
The game was decided by a strike by Adama Traore that cruelly went in off Illan Meslier’s back
‘I don’t think we conceded the dominance of the game too often. But of course they have two wingers who are very dangerous.
‘Although we didn’t dominate them completely I thought our defensive behaviour was good.’
Leeds came agonisingly close to taking a 63rd-minute lead as Wolves keeper Rui Patricio superbly kept out a close-range header by Patrick Bamford, with the follow-up cleared off the line by a home defender.
Leeds could not find a way past Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio at Molineux on Friday night
They were punished barely a minute later as Adama Traore beat two markers with a jinking run and his thunderbolt from 25 metres cannoned off the woodwork before it hit Meslier in the back and rolled into the net.
Bamford had a clinical finish from inside the penalty area ruled out for marginal offside after a VAR check in the 79th minute as Leeds pressed in search of an equaliser.
Patricio then pulled off a pair of vital saves in stoppage time, keeping out a Helder Costa shot with his feet when the Leeds substitute was through on goal before he tipped a Raphinha header around the post.
Patricio pulled off another crucial stop to deny former Wolves forward Helder Costa late on
And to BBC Sport: ‘All evaluations from the game are in favour of us. The possession, the dominance and the chances. In this sense it was the possession that created danger, a dominance that was productive. We had double the chances they did to score but we didn’t manage to do so.
‘We had 10 chances and we weren’t able to score a goal, they had five and scored one. That explains the game.
‘I can’t be upset [with the goal] because it wasn’t Ilan’s fault.
‘If we defended well and attacked well I don’t think we can conclude that we lost because Kalvin Phillips wasn’t there.’
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