CHAMPIONSHIP
THIS WEEKEND
16
M
ateusz Klich admitted
failure to beat bogey side
Nottingham Forest felt like a
loss for misfiring leeds.
last season, despite monopolis-
ing possession over the course of 46 games —
they had over two-thirds of the ball again
here — leeds were matched or bettered
in terms of goals scored by five rivalchampionship clubs. and the division’s pro-
motion favourites suffered once again for an
inability to convert their chances; a frailty
exposed when lewis Grabban claimed a
bizarre late equaliser to leave the Yorkshire
club with just two victories over Forest in
their past 14 meetings.
‘it felt like last season. We should havescored more goals and won the game but 1-0
is not enough in this division,’ said Poland
midfielder Klich.
‘We should win the game by two or three
goals and that would have been enough.
We have dropped two points, it’s not
rocket science.
‘We should have won the game, but it feelsMissed opportunities haunt
Leeds against bogey side
RICHARD GIBSON at Elland Road
LEEDS 1
NOTTM FOREST 1
like we have actually lost the game.’
having scored three times in their
opening-weekend win at Bristol city,
Marcelo Bielsa’s team squandered a
succession of openings before Pablo
hernandez doubled his tally for the
season with a composed finish from
Klich’s inviting pass just before
the hour.
Patrick Bamford was the major
culprit for leeds. a heavy touch in the
first half allowed on-loan Manchester
city goalkeeper arijanet Muric to
block with his feet, while twice within
a minute after the interval the former
Forest striker failed to make precise
connections: an improvised volley
bobbling on to the crossbar followed
by a shot guided wide from the edge of
the area with Muric out of position and
the net exposed.
Post-match, Bielsa suggested that
the application in other areas — such
as final balls and crosses — was equally
lacking, although Klich revealed: ‘in
training, Marcelo has been putting
more focus on our finishing. the goals
will come and everything will be fine.
‘You can see we enjoy the way the
manager wants us to play and we all
understand better now what we are
supposed to do on the pitch so we will
continue to follow his lead.
‘last season was almost successful
and i hope this season is going to
be better.’
eddie Nketiah, the england
under 21 forward borrowed from
arsenal to fill the void left by last
season’s top scorer Kemar Roofe’s
recent departure to anderlecht,
could make his debut in the eFl
cup tie against salford city
tomorrow evening.
Forest, with seven players involved
who arrived in this summer’s transfer
window, and others returning to favour
or fitness under new coach sabri
lamouchi, stole a point when on-loan
Wolves forward Rafa Mir — a euro
under 21 winner with spain this sum-
mer — snatched at a chance from a
77th-minute corner and his shot
redirected off Grabban’s shoulder at
close range.
‘Possession doesn’t win you football
matches,’ said Forest captain Michael
Dawson. ‘the manager said afterwards
that we played better last week and
got nothing. that is the champion-
ship. You don’t always get what
you deserve.’WISE OWL BULLEN GETS
Quite a few feared for SHEFFIELD
WEDNESDAY when manager steve
Bruce stepped down. But under
caretaker manager lee Bullen the
Owls have won their opening two
matches of the season for the first
time in 23 years.
it was a player loaned from Bruce’s
Newcastle on deadline day, winger
Jacob Murphy, who opened the
scoring in their 2-0 win over
BARNSLEY. Murphy’s mazy run also
led to steven Fletcher doubling the
lead on the hour.
‘What pleased me most was that wewon by out-Barnsleying Barnsley,’
said Bullen. ‘We had worked on ways
to stop them.’
the only other team with maximum
points from two games are CHARLTON,
after their 3-1 home win over STOKE.
the addicks rejected four bids from
Brentford for lyle taylor before the
window shut and the striker openedGROUNDHOG DAY
Spot of trouble:
Martyn Waghorn
is left dejected REX