Leeds United man's 'can be better' statement after lighting blue touch paper with 'full gas'
The man who lit the blue touch paper on an explosive Leeds United performance against Chelsea believes they can do better.
Leeds snapped a four-game losing streak with a shock 3-1 victory over title-chasing Chelsea at Elland Road on Wednesday night. Their combination of physicality and direct play proved too much for the Blues, who wilted under the floodlights.
The night could not have got off to a better start for the hosts. They had already created problems for the world champions before taking a sixth-minute lead. Anton Stach swung in an inviting corner and Jaka Bijol darted away from his marker, got off the ground and planted a header in the back of the net via Robert Sanchez' glove.
When he was signed from Udinese Bijol was spoken about as a set-piece threat thanks to his ability to make first contact on balls into the opposition box. His first goal could not have been better timed for a team in need of a result and a manager under pressure.
"We always train stuff, we train what the coaches think is going to be the weak points of the opponents and where are they," he said. "Yeah, then you just have to believe in it and go full gas in your zones and believe that the ball is going to come. It came today, I just saw it in the net and in front of the fans, it was unbelievable."
What followed was a masterclass in brute force, counter pressing and counter attacking. Bijol and his fellow central defenders Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk headed, blocked and cleared almost everything that came into their box. At the other end Ao Tanaka smacked in a screamer and Dominic Calvert-Lewin tapped home after Noah Okafor pressed Chelsea into an error. Pedro Neto's goal after the break became a mere consolation for a well-beaten side. And Elland Road lapped it all up, feeding off the chaos.
"It was a crazy night, obviously," said Bijol. "To score a goal in front of the fans straight away, it was something crazy. I just hope for many nights like this. It's not always the goals that give the energy, also the tackles, it's just some pressing moments as well, and then Elland Road gets behind you and everything is easier. We managed to do that from the beginning, bringing the right energy to it, score early as well, but then it's the whole game in front of you and you have to keep your head cool. We managed to do that and I'm really happy for the people."
There is no doubt that Leeds have been better at home than away this season but this was their best performance of the season by a distance, against top quality opposition to boot. Yet Bijol believes they can improve on it.
"I think we can do better, honestly," he said. "I'm looking forward to what this team can show us this season because I think we have a lot of quality, a lot of really good energy as well, and I'm sure we can do a lot of good stuff this season. We just have to continue on Saturday and keep some consistency."
A win lifted Leeds out of the drop zone, at least temporarily, and lifted a lot of the pressure off Daniel Farke's shoulders. He leads his side into another home game against Liverpool now with the team and its fanbase united and full of confidence. Bijol insists belief never wavered in the dressing room during the four-game losing run.
"It was important for everyone, honestly," he said. "I think everyone wants to give back the trust and everything. We never stopped believing in ourselves and what we do in the trainings and everything, and we just kept our head down and worked, and we showed (it) on the pitch. Maybe some results didn't show it, but we got the win with three points."