Leeds United had gone three games without losing ahead of Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace. The Whites looked like a much different team from last month.
Just before the international break, the team had gone on a losing streak, with speculation that Daniel Farke could be sacked soon. But the Leeds boss has masterminded a huge turnaround in the last few games.
On Saturday night, the home side shocked Crystal Palace, taking the lead courtesy of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The striker doubled the lead just before half time, with Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach rounding out the scoring later in the game. Leeds now have eight points from a possible 12 in their last four games, after having lost four in a row since their win over West Ham in October.
Joe Hart says Leeds United star Jaka Bijol did something ‘world-class’ on Saturday
Leeds were a danger from set pieces throughout the 90 minutes, and troubled Crystal Palace all night. Jaka Bijol’s quick thinking was key in the third goal of the game. Joe Hart described his flick on as ‘word-class’ when analysing the game on BBC MOTD:
”Aaronson just helping it back in and Bijol gets an absolutely world class touch here and Ampadu who was heavily involved in creating the first two goals gets his name on scoresheet.
”Excellent performance from him and a lovely poke.
”Putting them 3-0 up and they looked comfortable from there, they were really, really good today.”
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Defender looking like the premium summer signing
After a rough start to life in England, Bijol seems to be settling in quite well. At the start of the season, the Slovenian international was left on the bench because Daniel Farke believed he had not settled into the team yet. Bijol’s first few appearances were not that impressive; he looked slow and sloppy defensively.
| Statistic | |
|---|---|
| Passes Completed | 64/75 |
| Ground Duels Won | 2/2 |
| Aerial Duels Won | 6/9 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Big Chances Created | 1 |
| Tackles Won | 1/1 |
But it now looks like has turned a corner and looks much more comfortable in a back three than a back four. Playing with two other defenders allows him to be his more aggressive self, something he showed in Italy last season. If the defenders keeps up his performances, he might just win over the Leeds fanbase who criticized him earlier this campaign.
