It turns out Leeds United aren't tired as late goal glut proves in hammering of Newcastle United - Graham Smyth's Verdict

Proof, if it was needed, came in the final minutes as they blew Newcastle United away at Elland Road.

It came in Jack Harrison, bloodied nose and all, reaching Rodrigo's sprayed pass at the byline to volley the perfect cross to the middle for the Spaniard to head home.

It came in two end-to-end counter attacks involving wingers who hadn't stopped running for almost 90 minutes.

It wasn't needed, of course. For anyone paying attention, Marcelo Bielsa revealed in his pre-match press conference that Leeds' physical performance against West Ham was their second best of the season. The only time they had run more was in a 3-0 beating of Aston Villa.

What are mere facts in the face of an easy soundbite, trotted out any time Leeds lose a few games? It was tossed out in the build up to this game with conviction, if not foundation.

Leeds do have their problems, one of which reared its ugly head again in this game, but tiredness is not among them.

From start to finish, they had a good measure of control against Newcastle who sat back and tried to strike on the counter attack.

Any joy the visitors had came with an unhealthy slice of assistance from the hosts. There were free-kicks conceded in dangerous areas, two in the first two minutes in fact. There were poor passes that allowed Newcastle to burst forward. There were shooting chances spurned and there was wasteful finishing at the end of nice moves.

Rodrigo and Raphinha were heavily involved in most of the good stuff, the former firing over the top from a Harrison cut back, the latter popping up all over the place, playing with a freedom and an intensity that Newcastle struggled to match or contain.

Liam Cooper had a header saved from a Kalvin Phillips corner, Harrison flashed the ball across the face of goal and Raphinha shot wide.

The early signs were good, which for this Leeds team can sometimes signal that something bad is about to happen.

Rodrigo had a pass picked off in the middle and Ciaran Clark stormed forward to feed Ryan Fraser who brought a save from Meslier.

Lesson not learned, Rodrigo failed to find Raphinha with a ball across the centre of the pitch and Fraser's cross was flicked on by Callum Wilson for Jeff Hendrick to steal in and score the opener.

What impressed Bielsa most in this game was how patient his side were in possession, but they didn't have long to wait before deservedly levelling.

Raphinha hammered a dropping ball straight at Karl Darlow and headed wide from Alioski's cross, before turning provider and swinging in the perfect ball for Rodrigo to head over the keeper and onto the bar, Patrick Bamford perfectly placed to nod into an empty net.

The goal made Leeds' number nine Bielsa's record goalscorer over his managerial career, but the work the striker put in immediately after to win back possession and start another attack is something the head coach values just as much.

Playing better than they had against West Ham gave rise to cautious optimism at the break yet when they returned to the pitch they rode their luck more than a little.

Stuart Dallas was beaten by Jamal Lewis at the byline and Cooper's challenge on Wilson led to a strong penalty shout and a VAR check, but no punishment.

The game swung even further their way when Rodrigo showed wonderful control in the middle, found Harrison on the left and darted into the area to head home the superb cross that came back his way.

Dominating again, 2-1 up, looking good.

It's never that easy, is it?

A comedy of errors handed Newcastle a lifeline. Phillips' dreadful short corner set Newcastle on the attack, Meslier had to fly through the air to tip Wilson's effort over and Bamford headed the corner straight out for another. This time Ayling failed to get tight to Clark and the Newcastle man headed in.

Conceding from corners is a very real issue for this Leeds team, not one dreamed up by pundits but their response to giving another goal up in such a poor, familiar manner said a lot about Leeds' belief and composure.

They knocked on the door enough times and eventually Newcastle left it ajar.

Harrison's tigerish pressing won the ball back just outside the area, Mateusz Klich clipped a cross to the back post and Dallas arrived to head past Darlow.

What turned a nervy finish into a rout was, irony of all ironies, a pair of Newcastle corners.

The first was defended, Leeds broke quickly through Raphinha and substitute Pablo Hernandez rolled the ball across the area to Aliosko who, with Harrison on his shoulder should he need him, thumped home.

The second corner was defended, Hernandez played it to Harrison and he pinned back his ears, backed himself and sent a 25-yard thunderbolt past Darlow to make it 5-2.

Those goals came on 85 and 88 minutes respectively and yet, even with the three-goal advantage, still they ran. Still Bielsa shouted 'again' and still they looked for goals.Mercifully for Bruce's visitors, the end came quickly without further humiliation.

Let us hope the same can now be said for the words tired and burnout.

A win of this scale and the manner in which it came was perhaps the most fitting outcome of a game that handed Bielsa a personal record of 114 games in charge, the most he has had at any club or nation in his long career.

A set-piece issue he has never fully resolved will likely run and run, as will this tiredness nonsense but the most important thing is that so too will Leeds.