Spotlight on Leeds United's goalscoring issue after Luke Ayling calls for support for Patrick Bamford

Ayling called for more goals from other areas of the team in conducting the post-match player press at Loftus Road after Bamford failed to net with six attempts on goal including a penalty.

Two of the striker's efforts were on target including his saved spot kick with Rs keeper Liam Kelly also keeping out an effort from a tight angle with his legs.

Four other attempts failed to test the 'keeper altogether with Bamford notably unable to make the most of a one on one which was lobbed over the bar yet the forward was the only Whites player apart from Kalvin Phillips to have a shot on target.

Pablo Hernandez went mightily close with a second-half free-kick that hit the post but two other attempts were off target while right winger Helder Costa had just two shots on goal with one off target and well over the bar and another blocked.

Left winger Jack Harrison managed three attempts on goal but all of those were off target and deep lying midfielder Phillips proved the only other Whites player to test Kelly with an attempt that was saved.

Mateusz Klich had no shots on goal and United's only other two attempts came from defenders Stuart Dallas and Liam Cooper, both of whom missed the target.

Neither of United's two substitutes Gjanni Alioski or Jordan Stevens fired in an attempt on goal though clearly via the chances presented to Bamford, United once again had enough opportunities to win the game.

Yet behind Bamford who remains stuck on ten, own goals remains United's second top scorer this season with six - followed by Harrison and recalled former Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah with five apiece.

Costa, Klich and Alioski have four apiece with Dallas and Hernandez on three and Phillips, Ayling and injured duo Tyler Roberts and Gaetano Berardi on one apiece.

In scoring 43 goals in 28 games, United still take fairly high rank in terms of an attacking force as the fourth highest scorers in the division behind leaders West Brom who have managed 50 from one game less.

Fourteenth-placed QPR who have the joint second worst worst defence have scored 46 whereas fourth-placed Brentford have one more than Leeds with 44.

Goalscoring is clearly relative to a side's defensive record but Leeds have also now gone seven games without keeping a clean sheet, eight if including the 1-0 loss at Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.

And in the goalscoring charts, a host of teams are now snapping at United's heels led by third-placed Fulham and eighth-placed Bristol City who both have 42 and the problem is threatening to lead to same predicament in terms of holding on to a place in the automatic promotion spots.

Eleventh-placed Blackburn Rovers and 12th-placed Hull City have scored just two less than United who be it through Bamford, the support act or a new signing quickly need to start hitting the goal trail.

The Whites have now gone 218 minutes of league football without scoring, even without including the FA Cup loss at Arsenal and even there missed chances cost Leeds a likely victory and the rewards their football otherwise deserved against their big name hosts.

Football worthy of a place in the Premier League and United still remain long odds on at 1-5 to finish in the automatic promotion spots with Leeds ultimately still in charge of second place.

But whilst the only table that matters is the one after 46 games, the Whites sit fourth-bottom in the form table taken over the last seven and that and United's lack of goals clearly has to be a concern.