Daily Express - 02.09.2019

FOOTBALL: SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP^ Daily Express Monday, September 02, 2019^57

DX1ST

By Nathan Hemmingham

Picture: RICHARD SELLERS

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1

LEEDS

SWANSEA

MATT PHILLIPS believes he can help fill the

£26 million hole in West Brom’s goal account.

The winger scored his second goal of the campaign

in this win as the Baggies climbed to fourth in the

table. Their promising start comes after selling Jay

Rodriguez (£10m) and Salomon Rondon (£16.5m).

Phillips said: “We lost a lot of goals but we

brought in Charlie Austin, Kyle Edwards has got off

the mark and it is up to everyone to contribute. The

club wants to get back to the Premier League.”

GRAHAM THOMAS

QPR boss Mark Warburton claims the Championship

is more “wide open” than ever – so much so that one

of the sides promoted from League One last season

could be in the running for a Premier League place.

Warburton, who saw Jordan Hugill’s double deliver

victory at Hillsborough after Steven Fletcher’s

penalty gave Wednesday the lead, said: “You know

how tight this league is. It has never been so open.

“I honestly believe one of the promoted three will

be underestimated and finish in the top 10.”

CLIVE HETHERINGTON

KAMIL GROSICKI’S stunning free-kick

left everyone wondering whether he

intended to score what proved to be a

point-saving strike for Hull.

The Polish winger’s spectacular

18th-minute, 40-yard set-piece strike

cancelled out Jed Wallace’s early penalty.

Tigers team-mate Ryan Tafazolli said:

“He’s got unbelievable quality, so it

wouldn’t surprise me if he meant it.”

Millwall’s Jake Cooper added: “I didn’t

expect him to shoot from there. If he has

done [meant it] he’s pulled off a worldie.”

PAUL GREEN

WEST BROM 3 BLACKBURN 2

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 1 QPR 2

MILLWALL 1 HULL 1

kid with Francis, said:

“When I became aware

of the record Trevor

had as the club’s

youngest player, I

wanted to beat it.”

The teen, who scored

the 76th-minute

winner, hopes to face

Finland on Friday.

He said: “Lukas

stopped me getting

booked for the

celebration with fans.”

Jutkiewicz equalised

with a header after

Liam Lindsay had put

Stoke ahead. The

Potters are bottom, and

Lindsay said: “It hasn’t

been good enough.”

JOHN WRAGG

BIRMINGHAM 2 STOKE 1

opened the scoring for

Huddersfield after the

break but James

Collins netted from the

spot before Shinnie’s

strike. Defeat leaves

caretaker boss

Mark Hudson’s

side in the

bottom three

and facing a

likely change

of manager.

But Grant

said of Hudson:

“He has been brilliant.

As players we have to

man up and deal with

the situation whoever’s

in charge.”

DEREK DAVIS

ANDREW SHINNIE

has vowed to remain

ruthless after hitting a

wonderful winner in

Luton’s first league

victory at Kenilworth

Road since their return

to the Championship.

The midfielder’s

20-yard strike

was a thing of

beauty, honed

on the

training

ground with

manager

Graeme Jones.

“It’s about being

ruthless and having

shots,”said Shinnie,

above. “I’ll keep doing

that as the season goes

on.”Karlan Grant

Shinnie calls shots

LUTON 2 HUDDERSFIELD 1

BRENTFORD 3 DERBY 0

caretak

Ma

si

b

a

l

o

B

saido

p

er’s

LEEDS v SWANSEA

62 POSSESSION % 38

3 SHOTS ON TARGET 2

9 SHOTS OFF TARGET 2

6 CORNERS 5

0 OFFSIDES 0

15 FOULS 10

2 YELLOW CARDS 2

0 RED CARDS 0

Source: Opta

felt that there was a goal there

for us. He is very good at

securing the ball.

“He makes

good decisions

in those hectic

moments and that’s

what he gave us.

“It isn’t just about

what people see on

the pitch, it’s about

the role model that

he is. He’s great to

have around.

“He keeps himself in great

shape and he has been a great

servant for the club. Whenever

the time comes for him to call it

a day, and I hope it’s not any

time soon, he’ll look back and

be really proud of the career he

has had.”

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds

created countless chances but

failed to make the breakthrough

in a game they dominated.

Pablo Hernandez, Eddie

Nketiah and Patrick Bamford

should all have done better

with opportunities

to take the lead

before Routledge

made them pay

dearly for their

profligacy with his

late strike.

The home side

were unable to

clear their lines

from a corner and, when Matt

Grimes sent the ball back into a

crowded penalty area,

Routledge was there to sweep it

home and send the travelling

fans wild. It was a frustrating

afternoon for the Yorkshire

outfit and midfielder Stuart

Dallas admitted they should

have taken three points.

He said: “Again, it’s one of

those games where you don’t

punish them and we were

punished at the end.

“It’s disappointing, especially

going into the international

break.

“It’s going to be a long

couple of weeks now.

“We had a few half-chances,

but we are just disappointed.

It’s a game we should have

won.”

LEEDS (3-5-2): Casilla 6; White 7, Phillips 7, Cooper

7; Dallas 7, Klich 6 (Costa 72), Forshaw 6, Alioski 6

(Douglas 83), Hernandez 7; Bamford 7 (Nketiah 61),

Harrison 6.

SWANSEA (4-2-3-1): Woodman 7; Roberts 7, Van

der Hoorn 7, Rodon 7, Bidwell 6; Fulton 7, Grimes 7;

Ayew 6 (Byers 85), Celina 6, Dhanda 6 (Routledge 63,

6); Baston 6 (Surridge 63, 6). Goal: Routledge 90.

COOPER SALUTES VETERAN AFTER

HIS STRIKE SENDS SWANS TO TOP

Picture: RICHARD SELLER

Routledge showing no

sign of going on wane

AT the age of 34, you may be
forgiven for thinking your
career as a footballer is nearing
its end.
But in Wayne Routledge,
Swansea have a player head
coach Steve Cooper believes
still has plenty to offer.
The winger has amassed
more than 200 appearances for
the Swans since arriving in
2011 and his 90th-minute
winner at Leeds sent the Welsh
outfit top of the Championship,
displacing their hosts.
Cooper threw Routledge on
in the 63rd minute in the hope
he could nick a winner – and
says ever since he arrived at the
club the former Crystal Palace,
Tottenham and QPR man has
been one of the standout
professionals.
“Wayne doesn’t have a bad
day at work,” said Cooper.
“His training and his
application and spirit to the
team, particularly the younger
players, is a real asset for us.
“It was a moment for a calm
head [the winning goal] and we

ROUT OF THIS

WORLD: Wayne

Routledge

enjoys his late

Swans winner

WATKINS: Double

Watkins rams home agony

OLLIE WATKINS scored

two first-half goals to

down Derby, and then

said: “I could have been

a Ram”.

Former Derby boss

Steve McLaren tried to

sign the then-Exeter

star in January 2017

before his £1.8million

switch to Brentford.

Watkins, 23, said: “I

wanted to go there

but in the end it fell

through. Exeter wanted

a bit more money at the

time and they wanted a

loan back. We got to the

play-off final that year.

But I am glad I came to

Brentford.”

Watkins had two

shots cleared off the

line, the first leading to

Bryan Mbeumo opening

the scoring after 17

minutes. Watkins made

no mistake a minute

later before adding the

third on the stroke of

half-time.

Derby skipper

Richard Keogh, who

denied Watkins twice,

said: “The first half

was unacceptable. We

will learn from it.”

STEVE JUDGE

JUDE BELLINGHAM

plays for England

Under-17s on Friday –

but needed Lukas

Jutkiewicz to pull him

out of the crowd to

avoid a booking on the

biggest day of his

blossoming career.

Match-winner

Bellingham, 16, is the

youngest scorer in

senior English league

football since Jordon

Ibe – at 15 years 325

days – scored for

Wycombe in 2011.

He is even younger

than Trevor Francis was

when he famously

scored four aged 16

against Bolton in 1971.

Bellingham, who has a

picture of himself as a

Hero Jude’s in luck

CROWD PULLER:

Bellingham

celebrates after

his winner