‘Unstoppable’ – Sky Sports pundit breathless about ‘outstanding’ Leeds player in 5-0 v Stoke
Stoke City are no mugs but they were made to look absolutely wretched by a brilliant Leeds United on Thursday night.
After a nervy first half where fans would have been thinking “Not again”, a Mateus Klich penalty opened the floodgates and filled the Leeds players with confidence.
A Helder Costa goal early in the second half was followed by Liam Cooper stroking the ball home from deep in the Stoke penalty area – you know it’s not your night when that happens.
The difference-maker at half-time was Pablo Hernandez. He’s being managed carefully by Marcelo Bielsa in the run-in but when he comes on things just shift up a gear for Leeds.
He was in absolutely majestic form in the second half and he got the fourth for Leeds after another brilliant move.
Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe was purring on the live commentary of the game (Sky Sports Football, 5pm) after Hernandez set up the third goal.
“This is worth looking at again,” said Hinchcliffe. “It’s one of the best team goals you’ll see in the Championship this season. It’s patient, it’s precise.
“Watch the movement of Pablo Hernandez… He’s involved in the play, lays it off and then just watch the run he makes right across the pitch.
“That is intelligence and the intelligence to stay onside not to run aimlessly forward. His teammates pick him out and then how considered is this? He picks out Liam Cooper who finishes like a centre forward. It’s outstanding. Seven Leeds players involved and it gets the finish it deserves.”
After his goal, Hinchcliffe added, “It’s yet another half-time change for Bielsa that pays dividends. We talked about Hernandez in terms of his movement and his creativity, now he gets on the scoresheet as well. When Leeds combine like this they’re unstoppable and that finish from Hernandez, as you’d expect, was inch-perfect.”
This was Leeds.
We all know what they can play like when they get the bit between their teeth but this was absolute class tonight.
If there were nerves before the game, with Brentford just three points behind, they were completely gone after this display.
No team will want to play Leeds after watching this and we fully expect the players to build on this and go to Swansea and pick up three points on Sunday now.
Hernandez only came on at half-time but we think he did enough to get man of the match.
He’s head and shoulders above other players in the Championship and bringing him on when Leeds are winning seems almost unfair.
We might not have him for that much longer but we’ll appreciate every minute that he plays in a Leeds shirt.
In other Leeds United news, ‘They hate us so much’, ‘Shady’ – Some Leeds fans slam Sky for incidents in first-half v Stoke