Patrick Bamford's Leeds United return part of two flickering bright lights against Aston Villa

Aside from some good saves from Illan Meslier and a valiant display by Luke Ayling, the other flickering bright light centred around another 45 minutes for teen striker Joe Gelhardt as he and Bamford finished the game upfront.

New Leeds head coach Jesse Marsch outlined his plan before Thursday night's encounter to bring Bamford on from the bench in his comeback from a series of recent injury issues.

The England international striker had not featured since the home clash against Brentford at the start of December in which the striker returned from an ankle injury as a second-half substitute and scored a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw, only to injure his hamstring celebrating the leveller.

The Whites no 9 recovered from the hamstring setback but then picked up a quad problem before being kept out by a foot issue, the forward tearing his plantar fascia.

The striker was then an unused substitute in last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Leicester City, for which Marsch said the forward was only ready to play ten minutes.

But over half an hour presented itself on his long-awaited return against Villa and Bamford quickly showed flashes of his clear class, albeit on a pretty abysmal night for the Whites as part of a miserable 3-0 defeat.

Just as Marcelo Bielsa had often opted for, Marsch chose to play winger Dan James upfront along with Rodrigo but Leeds failed to fire in the opening 45 minutes and an extremely disappointing Rodrigo was hooked at the break as teen striker Gelhardt was introduced.

That meant a front two of Gelhardt and James and Leeds pushed hard for an equaliser in the opening ten minutes, only for Villa to hold firm and weather the small spell of pressure.

As the Whites response flattened out, Marsch then called for Bamford who stripped off to a big cheer and replaced Jack Harrison two minutes before the hour, James then switching to playing on the left side of the front two.

Within minutes of coming on, Bamford showed some neat skill and movement to twist and turn as Leeds looked to break out of defence and the striker was hauled down by John McGinn who was booked.

But Villa then doubled their lead in the 65th minute through Matty Cash and the goal knocked the stuffing out of the hosts despite Bamford and Gelhardt looking to make inroads upfront, the Whites no 9 successful with all six of his attempted passes.

Leeds offered just four shots at goal compared to Villa's 15 and only one Whites player tested Villa 'keeper Emi Martinez.

United's sole shot on target arrived nine minutes after the break when the lively Gelhardt took matters into his own hands and let fly from 25 yards out after dropping deep when a corner was cleared.

His effort went straight into the arms of Martinez and another strike from the teen was blocked but he was still responsible for half of United's shots at goal.

Robin Koch and Bamford offered the others, Koch skying a shot over the bar during the brief spell of Leeds pressure after a Raphinha cross was cleared and that probably presented United's best opening of the game.

But it was slim pickings, Bamford providing the only other attempt in the closing stages when working an opening on the edge of the box but sending his attempt just over the top corner to sarcastic cheers from Villa's away fans.

The bar was set very low but Bamford and Gelhardt were clearly the glimmers of light without particularly shining on a night when United's front four who started of James, Rodrigo, Harrison and Raphinha failed to manage a single shot between them.

The need for changes is glaringly obvious and, when fitness allows, Bamford and Gelhardt upfront looks the clear way to go.

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. You'll enjoy unlimited access to the latest on Leeds United and Leeds Rhinos. With our sports digital subscription, you'll also see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get exclusive content. Click HERE to subscribe.