Loads of Leeds United fans have been reacting on social media after captain Liam Cooper claimed the Whites were a “different class” against Bristol City on Saturday.
Cooper featured in the starting line-up at home to the Robins to make his 26th outing of the Championship season, and helped goalkeeper Kiko Casilla to clinch his first clean sheet in 13 league games.
United had been leaking goals at the back over the past few months, with Casilla beaten 20 times in the second-tier between shutting out Hull City on December 10 and saving everything Bristol City could throw at him.
Casilla was required to make one save on Saturday, while collecting one cross, as Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites did well to thwart much of what Lee Johnson’s side looked to create.
United held the Robins to just 31.6% of possession, allowed just three shots – one on target – and forced the visiting Ashton Gate natives to misplace 40% of their 251 attempted passes, per WhoScored data.
We, meanwhile, produced 20 shots, struck six on target, recorded 772 touches, completed 432 of our 552 passes, played 12 key balls and were successful with 11 of our 18 attempted dribbles.
Have we hit a positive turning point in our season?
Yes, hopefully
No, not yet
The performance produced on Saturday left a glowing impression on Cooper, who was delighted to see United move three points clear of third-placed Fulham and within four points of Championship leaders West Bromwich Albion.
“It was a good win, I think to a man we were a different class,” the £5.4m-rated centre-half told LUFC TV. “The energy levels were there, the intensity levels were there and we are all buzzing to get the three points and come away with a good result.
“We came out from the first minute and I thought we were the better team and should maybe have won the game by three or four.
“That’s no disrespect to Bristol, but we created a lot of chances and limited them to very few chances and that is the way we want to play and those are the games we want to be involved in.”
Here are some of the messages shared as fans reacted to Cooper’s claim…
Got to follow it up now. Learn from last year and lets pull away from third!
— Ryan (@RWO93) February 17, 2020
@LukeM1919 good talker
— Gavin Holmstrom (@Gavalar_H_87) February 17, 2020
We aren’t going to score stacks of goals every time at Elland Road. Teams sit and rarely want to leave their third.
Away is where we will get more joy.
And now is the time to laud that performance. It was incredible
— Leodis74 (@leodis74) February 17, 2020
Great result, one game at a time, great chance now, be focused and keeping going until the job is done, nobody else can do it for us.#MOT #lufc
— Damian O Neill (@nailer1967) February 17, 2020
keep us going skipper
we are LEEDS UNITED
fear no imposters— john batty (@bregans) February 17, 2020
It was a great performance collectively. I thought running on and off the ball was great. Defensive block was top class and phase 1+2 were good. I think just being more clinical is our biggest issue although fingers crossed it improves. Let’s all stick together and push on. MOT
— Mitchell Emmerson (@MitchellEmmers2) February 17, 2020
Still need striker goals…The odd goal from Ayling etc won’t be enough :-/ That game should have been 8-0 😂
— Dave D 🇬🇧 📷 Yorkshire 💛💙 (@YorkshireDaveUK) February 17, 2020
keep it going 💪
— scotty782lufc (@scotty782lufc) February 17, 2020
13 more of the same then.
— Nala’s Duddy💙💛 (@Stephen_2610) February 17, 2020
In other Leeds United news, Director of Football Victor Orta has been condemned for targeting the wrong player during the January window.