Glass half full as Erling Haaland eclipsed but new Leeds United question at Southampton: Verdict

Following Saturday's contest at a sweltering Southampton, he did so again.

The fact that Patrick Bamford was taken off injured in just the 28th minute naturally once again raised the issue of what Leeds have offensively.

Marsch, though, insisted Bamford was withdrawn as a precaution due to tightness in his abductor and will be back in training this week.

And instead the real focus at St Mary's actually fell on the opposite end of the pitch as United's failure to defend a two-goal lead denied Marsch's promising side the perfect start to the new campaign.

With Bamford long having been withdrawn, rejuvenated record signing Rodrigo was responsible for giving Leeds a 2-0 cushion as the mercury rose well above 30 degrees centigrade on the south coast.

Rodrigo quipped that it still wasn't as hot as Spain.

The forward left Spain to join Leeds for a club record fee of £27m from Valencia in the summer of 2020 and after a stop-start couple of seasons, the thriving 31-year-old is now emerging as United's main man from a goals perspective.

By Saturday evening, Rodrigo was even the Premier League's main man on that front, topping the goalscoring charts on three having also netted in last weekend's season opening 2-1 win at home to Wolves.

After a brace at St Mary's one week later, the Spanish international found himself leapfrogging Manchester City's Erling Haaland even and Arsenal's impressive Gabriel Jesus in the Golden Boot race.

Is Rodrigo just best as a striker? Is he a no 10? All questions put to Marsch after Saturday's contest on the south coast, and the latest Bamford one in the fashion of do Leeds badly need another option upfront?

But the main inquest on the south coast concerned how did Marsch's side not manage to leave with all three points against a Saints side booed by their own fans and 2-0 down with just 18 minutes left.

Both Marsch and Rodrigo told it like it is at St Mary's, Rodrigo admitting the Whites should have left with a victory.

Marsch, meanwhile, said his side were left with a "horrible feeling" after the strikes from Joe Aribo and Kyle Walker-Peters had cancelled out United's lead.

The Whites boss did, though, highlight how disappointment not to be looking at six points out of six was a sign of their progress.

He's right and the Whites appear to be going places under their American head coach whose high pressing showed no sign of relenting at St Mary's, even in the scorching sun.

But Leeds will be going places much quicker if seeing out situations like Saturday's, the aftermath of which had Marsch pondering whether he should have made earlier changes as the Whites looked to see out their two goal lead.

Unsurprisingly, the Whites boss named an unchanged side on the back of the opening weekend success against Wolves.

Summer signing Luis Sinisterra returned from a recent hamstring injury but to the bench along with the fit again Adam Forshaw after tweaking his knee.

Whites captain Liam Cooper was also back in training this week following a recent Achilles issue but a setback prevented him from making the bench which also lost the services of star young forward Joe Gelhardt due to a dead leg.

Cooper and Gelhardt would have been extremely useful to Leeds at Southampton, but even without them, Marsch's side had done more than enough to win.

In an open but goalless first half, Leeds survived an extremely nervy wait in just the 16th minute after Diego Llorente produced a last ditch tackle on Stuart Armstrong who had been played clean through on a rapid counter.

Armstrong went flying to the deck as Southampton appealed for a foul and there was a sinking feeling as VAR intervened.

Yet to huge cheers in the away end, Llorente was judged to have got the ball - just - and it should have proved the platform for victory.

In any case, even before Rodrigo's double, United ought to have gone ahead on the stroke of half-time when Jack Harrison played in Bamford's replacement Dan James who fired a firm drive across goal that impressive Saints stopper Gavin Bazunu tipped wide.

James, back from suspension, had been brought on as Bamford made way in the 28th minute and was sent upfront as Rodrigo stayed in the no 10 role.

But Marsch switched it up after the break as James moved to the right flank which had been occupied by Brenden Aaronson who moved in centrally as Rodrigo effectively went up tops.

Within 15 minutes of the restart, the Spaniard had put his side 2-0 up, firstly producing brilliant movement to get himself to the near post before flicking home a delicious finish from a Harrison cross.

Even Haaland and Jesus would have been proud of that one and Rodrigo's second was most definitely a striker's finish.

This time the Spaniard arrived at the far post to head home practically under the crossbar after Pascal Struijk had flicked on Aaronson's corner.

United's fans turned up the noise even further as both the temperature and the heat on Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl continued to soar.

Yet despite Marsch switching to a back five, United were unable to see out their lead and the first stage of the comeback was landed in the 72nd minute as substitute Aribo fired home a firm finish following a Saints break down the left.

The combination of Illan Meslier and United's defence did their best to keep out new Southampton signing Aribo but the damage had been done by United being cut open too easily down their right side.

Then, with just nine minutes left, a wonderful through ball from another Saints substitute in Sekou Mara completely dissected Leeds as right-back Walker-Peters arrived on the blind side of Harrison before firing home a perfect first time finish past Meslier.

United's lead had been well and truly blown and it nearly got worse, Meslier needing to produce a firm save to keep out a ferocious drive from Mara in the 90th minute.

Four minutes later, Leeds might have had the last laugh themselves as Rodrigo was played in only to be denied by another stop from Bazunu.

By then, Marsch had made three more changes as Forshaw, Mateusz Klich and debutant Sinisterra were all introduced but only inside the final six minutes, by which point United had already squandered their two-goal lead.

Should changes have been made earlier? Perhaps. Marsch admitted so himself but the Whites boss said the glass was very much half full and not half empty despite the late St Mary's pain.

When all is said and done, Leeds are unbeaten and already on four points for the new campaign.

This, though, was definitely a case of another two that got away.