As Project Big Picture becomes yesterday's news, a bigger picture emerges for Leeds United in slim defeat by Wolves - Graham Smyth's Verdict

That the game against Wolves ended 1-0 to the visitors was frustrating, given all Leeds' possession, first half dominance and chances.

But the source of frustration is the same source from which the good news appears and there's lots of it.

Three months ago Leeds United were a Championship club but their first five Premier League outings for 16 years have proven them to be instantly competitive. Marcelo Bielsa's men have experienced what it's like to come up against four of last season's top nine and are yet to look overawed or even remotely out of place. They ran Liverpool close in a 4-3 defeat, gave Manchester City a torrid time in a 1-1 draw and beat Sheffield United 1-0. All three of those games were tight and, with a little luck, could all have ended in Leeds victories.

And just as quickly as the Whites have adapted to a step up in competition, new signings Rodrigo and Robin Koch have slipped effortlessly into Bielsaball, the latter in particular. Against Wolves Rodrigo's movement and passing was razor sharp in the first half, while Koch was in cruise control and exuding confidence for the vast majority of the game.

Even newer boy Raphinha made a short but lively cameo that produced four crosses and three touches in the opposition box and suggested he has already earned a measure of Bielsa's trust. The performance of Stuart Dallas, up against two tremendously tricky customers in Pedro Neto and Adama Traore, underlined why he enjoys the absolute trust of his head coach. Dallas did not deserve to be on the losing side and neither did Illan Meslier, who made two very good saves in another accomplished display from a 20-year-old more than holding his own against elite attacks.

He was only wrongfooted by a shot that deflected wickedly off the head of Kalvin Phillips and that bit of luck was enough to separate the teams. It was a defeat, but one by the slimmest possible margin. Perhaps that is why Bielsa clearly felt no need to hold a lengthy or in-depth public post-mortem, issuing curt one-line responses in his post-game press conference.

His early season warning that the sudden burst of efficiency that made Leeds so potent in front of goal in their opening two Premier League fixtures would be hard to maintain rang particularly true after this game.

The Whites were utterly dominant and looked a team in complete command during a first half that Wolves were fortunate and relieved to exit without conceding.

But the second half was a different story and the game slipped from Leeds' grasp, or rather was wrenched from them by a much improved visiting side who remembered that they too can play attractive attacking football.

And the difference was efficiency. For all Leeds' possession - they enjoyed 68 per cent - and the 13 shots they mustered, they made little in the way of work for Wolves stopper Rui Patricio.

Wolves only had seven shots but forced Meslier into two great stops and found the net twice, although a VAR check found a marginal offside that ruled out a Romain Saiss opener.

When the winner came from Jimenez, a player who did little before the break and came to life after it, fortune favoured Nuno Espirito Santo's men on that occasion.

To say they were worthy of the win would do Leeds a disservice, this game could easily have ended all square. When second half substitute Pablo Hernandez shot from near the penalty spot, a deflection took it up and over the net as lady luck smiled on the visitors.

Leeds' coming out of the blocks so quickly in the first half belied a disrupted preparation.

Liam Cooper had been a doubt ahead of the game having picked up a groin injury on international duty with Scotland and although he was named on the team-sheet, he began to look uncomfortable midway through Leeds' warm-up. Medical staff kept a close eye on the centre-half, who attempted to continue with his pre-match preparation, before a decision was made to pull him.

But Pascal Struijk enjoys Bielsa's trust and was a late addition to the line up. Rodrigo took the number 10 role despite Hernandez' return to fitness and Jack Harrison started on the left wing ahead of Gjanni Alioski.

The hosts began the game with a real tempo, winning a pair of early corners and creating chances from both. The first saw clever touches from Mateusz Klich and Rodrigo before Patrick Bamford fired well wide. The second ended with the ball in the net, from the head of Bamford, but he was offside when Harrison nodded the ball through.

Wolves were yet to get going and Leeds were going at them relentlessly, Helder Costa the tormentor in chief as he raced by defenders and got to the byline before a tame penalty shout.

Even a long delay for Daniel Podence to receive treatment for a facial injury did little to stem the white tide, Rodrigo playing some outrageously quick and slick football to help Leeds move quickly up the pitch, almost splitting the Wolves defence to play in Bamford, then teeing up Costa who drilled wide of the far post.

Nuno Espirito Santo cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as his team reached the midpoint of the half without a prolonged spell in possession, let alone a chance. Their best moment came on the break, having cleared a Leeds free-kick as far as Pedro Neto who raced all the way to the penalty area before being foiled by Luke Ayling.

Leeds had their opponents pinned, building pressure and chances, without making a breakthrough. Harrison's cross to the back post was fired goalward by Ayling, a defender getting in the way, Ayling's cross to the other side headed wide by Rodrigo.

Wolves did threaten, briefly, when Neto got past Dallas and won a corner off Struijk, Jimenez meeting the set-piece on the volley but failing to compensate for a tight angle.

It was merely a chance to draw breath, for the away side, however, not a momentum swing, as Leeds continued to produce pretty passing patterns to pile on pressure. Harrison drilled a cross through the area, a little behind Bamford who couldn't turn it home, then Rodrigo shot straight at Rui Patricio from a Phillips corner.

And yet, there was very nearly a sting in the tail of the half, Wolves finally breaking free to find space in the final third, Podence arriving in the area to fire goalwards, Illan Meslier beating it out and pouncing on the ball.

The second half had a more even look to it in its infancy and Leeds were briefly made to rue their missed chances when Romain Saiss hammered the ball past Meslier and into the net from a Podence cross. The goal celebrations were cut short by a VAR check that spotted Podence in a marginally offside position.

It was more than a breather this time, Wolves had finally come out to play. Podence came close to giving them the lead with a curling shot that required Meslier to dive full length and tip it round the post.

The game opened up and although Leeds continued to threaten down the left through Harrison, Wolves had a lot more of a say in where the action was played. When Jimenez skinned Struijk, Klich had to nip in to save the day. Suddenly, Wolves were the side in full control and there was nothing the Pole could do when a Struijk slip allowed Jimenez to pick up possession wide right then dart to the middle before switching to his right foot and shooting home, via Phillips' head.

Bielsa sent on Ian Poveda for the fading Costa, then Hernandez for Struijk, with Phillips dropping into the back line.

Hernandez got stuck in straight away, finding space and dictating the shape of Leeds' attacks. They wrestled back control but found Wolves to be compact in defence. Crosses from both flanks came to nothing and Hernandez saw a shot deflected over.

Raphinha was sent on for the final eight minutes and almost created a goal with his first touch, cutting the ball back from the byline before Poveda's shot was partially blocked and Rodrigo couldn't contort his body sufficiently to rise and head home at the back post.

Referee David Coote, who missed a kick out at Koch by Jimenez as the tension threatened to spill over late on, added six minutes on as Leeds looked for a leveller that just wouldn't come and fell to a second defeat of what is still unquestionably an impressive start to the Premier League season.

Nuno admitted Leeds caused his team 'enormous problems' and that has been the case in each game thus far. As the 'Project Big Picture' and an attempt to further narrow the path to the top becomes yesterday's news, the bigger picture emerging at Elland Road is that Bielsaball is going to make a nuisance of this Leeds United team. As the top clubs are finding out, one by one, the Whites are going to compete.