MX23RW : Wednesday, January 30 14:16:38
Jan 26, 2019 at 3pm UK at ​AESSEAL New York Stadium (Rotherham, South Yorkshire)
Attendance: 11,259
RotherhamRotherham United
1-2
LeedsLeeds United
Ajayi (28')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Klich (51', 86')

Rotherham manager Warne pleased with performance despite defeat

Rotherham manager Warne pleased with performance despite defeat
© Reuters
Leeds won 2-1 thanks to two goals from Mateusz Klich.

Rotherham manager Paul Warne said he was proud of his players despite their 2-1 loss to the Sky Bet Championship leaders Leeds.

Mateusz Klich bagged a second-half double to keep Leeds at the top. The visitors were far from their best but ground out the victory with a double from the Pole to cancel out Semi Ajayi's first-half screamer.​

Warne felt Leeds' superior quality shone through in the end.​

He said: "It is always difficult to concede that late on because it doesn't allow you to throw the kitchen sink at them.​

"I am 100 per cent honest and I am proud of their performance. We limited them to very few chances.​

"I thought from the lads' attitude and sticking to the gameplan could have been enough to come away with a positive result.​

"Nobody expected us to win this game but I thought the lads gave everything they had and predominantly made all the right decisions.​

"I am really pleased with what the lads have done but it's a points business. When you're more fatigued it is harder to make the right decisions.​

"I thought the substitution at half-time changed it, he (Tyler Roberts) caused us no end of problems and the centre-halves were caught between a rock and a hard place of whether to close him down or keep their shape.​

"It did feel like a right sucker-punch. A point at home to Leeds would have been a good point.​

"I am proud of the lads' efforts but player for player they are better than us. They are well organised and well coached but I have no complaints. We are coaching them to be as good as they can be."​

Warne joked that Marcelo Bielsa, in the wake of Spygate, could not have prepared for Rotherham's opener.​

"There's no way Bielsa would have prepared for that because I haven't even seen it in training, let alone anyone else. He hit it sweetly and he can score goals," said Warne.

Bielsa was pleased to see his side work hard for their victory.

He said: "It was a necessary win. We still have many games to play. In the first half, we didn't create any chances. The first goal had a positive impact on the team."​

Asked whether Klich's goals have come at a good time of the season, Bielsa added: "When it is hard for the team to score goals, we have another player capable of scoring. It is always something positive for the team."​

Bielsa gave a debut to former Real Madrid goalkeeper Kiko Casilla and would like more additions ahead of the transfer window closing next week.​

He said: "The goalkeeper did not have a lot of work to do with some mid-distance saves and he had some aerial work at the end of the game.​

"From my point of view it was very difficult to avoid the goal we conceded and he had a balanced performance.​

"I don't have any certainty about the possibility of a new player (arriving as a transfer).​

"If we can work on players who are better than our players, it would be a good thing but they have to be better than our players."​


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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds29176649311857
2Norwich CityNorwich29159554381654
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd29156848311751
4West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom28148657352250
5Middlesbrough281211531201147
6Derby CountyDerby2813784035546
7Bristol City2812883529644
8Blackburn RoversBlackburn29111084041-143
9Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest29101274233942
10Aston Villa29101275346742
11Swansea CitySwansea29118104035541
12Birmingham CityBirmingham2991374336740
13Hull City29117114138340
14Queens Park RangersQPR28116113439-539
15Stoke CityStoke2991193337-438
16Preston North EndPreston2999114545036
17Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2898113345-1235
18Brentford28810104339434
19Millwall2878133444-1029
20Wigan AthleticWigan2985162944-1529
21Rotherham UnitedRotherham29510142848-2025
22Reading2959153244-1224
23Bolton WanderersBolton2958161943-2423
24Ipswich TownIpswich2939172350-2718

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