Mateusz Klich runs star out of town in Leeds United's ominously routine win over Reading - Graham Smyth's Verdict

Leeds United's 1-0 win over Reading had an ominously routine feel about it.
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Marcelo Bielsa's men went through a run of results that had a section of their fanbase on the verge of meltdown, without ever dropping out of the top two, and now appear to be firmly back on track once again.

The rest of the Championship's would-be escapees should be kicking themselves, having failed to take advantage of the Whites at their 'worst' in January and February.

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A bit of magic from Pablo Hernandez and a second consecutive clean sheet has restored a five-point cushion between United and the play-off places.

After the game a very complimentary Mark Bowen suggested that West Brom and Leeds look likely to stay put in the top two for the foreseeable.

Before the game he made some comments that could now be seen as a little ill-advised.

Discussing the intensity with which Bielsa's side operate, he remarked that Leeds might have a midfielder who runs harder and faster than his own midfield puppet master John Swift, but not one with his ability. He prefers to work with the likes of Swift, he added.

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Bielsa revealed in his own pre-match press conference that Mateusz Klich runs more when he's angry.

Pablo Hernandez scoring the goal that sealed the win for Leeds United (Pic: Simon Hulme)Pablo Hernandez scoring the goal that sealed the win for Leeds United (Pic: Simon Hulme)
Pablo Hernandez scoring the goal that sealed the win for Leeds United (Pic: Simon Hulme)

For 93 minutes, in Klich's 82nd consecutive league start for the Whites, he ran so hard that Swift couldn't pull the Royals strings, he was too busy being pulled around the pitch.

"I thought Klich was going to attack well but maybe wouldn't be able to defend [Swift] well," said Bielsa after the win.

"But I think that Swift was more worried about defending Klich than attacking us and it looked like he didn't have an impact in their attack."

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Klich had almost twice the number of touches than Swift, as well as a superior passing accuracy, and while the Reading playmaker attempted just one shot on goal and played no key passes, Klich boasted three of each.

Swift has undoubted ability, he's a player who brings real quality to the Championship, but Klich ran him out of town.

It was necessary too, because the Leeds midfield was missing its enforcer and distributor-par-excellence Kalvin Phillips for 52 minutes plus stoppage time.

In a first half that was unremarkable by Leeds' standards and brought familiar scenes; white shirts haring down both flanks and delivering balls that didn't result in goals, Ben White nipping in to intercept passes, Phillips launching into tackles and emerging with the ball.

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The sight of him limping, after one such challenge, was as alarming for the Elland Road crowd as anything they've seen this season.

And although he gamely attempted to run it off and even came out on top in yet another crunching collision, the knock got the better of him and left Bielsa with a hole to fill.

What happened next looked, on the face of it, complicated, it was defensive upheaval more than a mere reshuffle.

Gjanni Alioski came on at left-back, which shifted Stuart Dallas to right-back, which moved Luke Ayling to centre-half, which shoved White forward into the central defensive midfield vacancy.

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But the ease with which this team adapt as individuals to new situations and alternative positions allowed Bielsa to complete the Rubik's Cube once again and, even without Phillips spraying passes to the flanks, Leeds continued to look more dangerous than their opponents and maybe even more dangerous than they had done until the 38th minute.

The runs of Alioski and Jack Harrison gave Reading too much to handle on the left and almost gave Leeds their opener.

Harrison had already found Helder Costa with a low cross, the Portuguese' shot deflected up and over the bar, before he clipped a wonderful ball over the top for Alioski, whose first time effort was saved by Rafael Cabral.

Klich started the second half like a man recently insulted, pressing forward, nipping in to win the ball and firing just wide of Cabral's left-hand upright.

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Leeds had lacked luck and a clinical touch in the box for most of the first hour, players getting in the way of team-mates' shots or not quite finding the required accuracy with the final ball.

The luck and clinical touch they needed arrived on 57 minutes, from the magical dancing feet of Pablo Hernandez.

Klich had won the ball, again, fed Costa and he found the Spanish attacker who shot against a defender, picked up the rebound and waltzed past a tackle before a deft finish into the top corner.

There was nothing routine about the manner in which the goal was scored, but he's made a career of magical moments just like it.

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And that was all that was required. It was a goal worthy of separating the teams and winning the contest.

Leeds did continue to dominate and carried on attacking with some lovely play, mostly down the right hand side where Costa and Dallas continued to run and run.

To Reading's credit, now playing in a 4-4-2, they slowly but surely clawed their way back into the game.

The eight shots they mustered proved they played a part in this game, in a way that many teams haven't managed at Elland Road or even on home turf against Leeds this season.

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Swift departed on 75 minutes and wily veteran Charlie Adams replaced him, showing a glimpse or two of his ability to pick a pass from long distance.

And the Royals gained a little ground, pushed play a little closer to Casilla's goal.

They still had defending to do, Cabral still needed to make a decent save from a Hernandez free-kick, but it felt like there would yet be one chance in it for Bowen's men.

And, like clockwork, in time added on, Leeds permitted some late drama to leave hearts in open mouths.

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Reading threw centre-half Liam Moore up into the attack, Bielsa admitting later that it caused confusion he could have avoided with a tactical intervention, and in the confusion the defender found himself running past Liam Cooper into the area with the ball at his feet and Casilla narrowing the angle.

The excellent and crucial save the Spaniard produced went some way to redeeming him in the eyes of fans for whom his recent errors still sting and brought Bielsa onto the pitch to issue congratulations, after a full-time whistle that was well received by most of the 35,483 in attendance.

Half-term ends on Monday, when the city of Leeds will return to routine, but their team is already back in the swing of things.