MX23RW : Wednesday, November 27 17:09:07| >> :120:63709:63709:
Nov 26, 2019 at 8pm UK at ​Madejski Stadium
Reading
0-1
LeedsLeeds United
FT(HT: 0-0)
Harrison (87')

Marcelo Bielsa: 'League table means nothing until May'

Marcelo Bielsa: 'League table means nothing until May'
© Reuters
Jack Harrison scored a late winner at Reading to send his side top of the Championship table.

Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa warned his players to ignore their position at the top of the Sky Bet Championship after their late 1-0 victory over lowly Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Reading just about shaded a poor first half, with Yakou Meite's powerful header saved by visiting keeper Kiko Casilla on the goalline.

Leeds improved after the break, Stuart Dallas seeing his fierce 20-yard drive cannon off the home crossbar.

With Bielsa's side gathering momentum, Jack Harrison nodded home the 87th-minute winner from Helder Costa's deflected cross.

Leeds stretched their unbeaten run to seven games after a fourth successive win.

"When you are top of the league, it is better than other positions in the table," Bielsa said.

"But it is also true that today, it doesn't mean a lot. The most important thing is what happens in May.

"Tonight, it was a tight match. It was difficult for us to create danger in the first half.

"In the second half, we changed and we attacked a little more. And enough to deserve the win. We defended well when we had to. Reading's chances were linked only to set-pieces.

"It was a very demanding match but we were able to stay without conceding a goal. We had patience. This is a signal of our maturity and experience of the team.

"It showed in the way that we managed the ball, especially in the centre of the pitch."

Mark Bowen forged a four-match unbeaten run after becoming the new Reading manager last month.

But his side have now suffered successive 1-0 defeats at Brentford and against Leeds.

"That was a very tough one to take," Bowen said.

"We had a game plan, we'd done a lot of homework and preparation on Leeds. They are a team that creates a lot of chances and dominates play.

"But although they had a fair bit of possession, I don't think our keeper had a real shot to save.

"So, that's a tick in one box. But I'm a little bit bitter about how it ended.

"Our game plan was to play more of a counter-attacking game. But in doing that, when we get a transition in play and we're going forward, we've got to be better retaining the ball.

"I said when I first came into this job, I'm going to be putting demands on this squad of players.

"I believe that they are in a false position [in the table]. We should be further up the league, no doubt.

"So I'll continue to put demands on them and also work with my coaching staff on the training ground to try to improve the players."

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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool13121030111937
2Leicester CityLeicester139223182329
3Manchester CityMan City1391337142328
4Chelsea138232819926
5Wolverhampton WanderersWolves134721816219
6Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd134631612418
7Burnley135352018218
8Arsenal134631819-118
9Manchester UnitedMan Utd134541915417
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs134542119217
11Bournemouth134451617-116
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton134361519-415
13Crystal Palace134361118-715
14Newcastle UnitedNewcastle134361120-915
15Aston Villa134271920-114
16Everton134271320-714
17West Ham UnitedWest Ham133461623-713
18Norwich CityNorwich133191328-1510
19Southampton132381331-189
20Watford13157826-188

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