Bielsa Hit By Sucker Punch

Wasteful Whites robbed at the death

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CHRIS Martin scored his first Derby goal for two years as Leeds yet again failed to turn dominance into victory.

Nottingham Forest, Swansea City and now Derby County have all been played off the park at Elland Road.

Yet Marcelo Bielsa’s men have taken just two points from those games, falling to a late sucker punch every time.

This was the grisliest of the lot, with Max Lowe’s early own goal followed by multiple spurned chances, a missed penalty from Mateusz Klich and 70 minutes of total control against a Derby side who showed less ambition than a teenage slacker.

Martin’s late strike – his first in Derby colours since November 2017 following a succession of loans – was the Rams’ only shot on target of the match and left Bielsa singing a familiar lament.

“This has happened a lot of times to us, but today was the worst,” said the Argentine. “We played 60 minutes very, very good. Maybe the best 60 minutes since I have been the coach of the team.

“For the next 15 minutes, we were still superior. But then the pressure faded. We lacked mobility. The players chose to go long and we could not regain that superiority.