Patrick Bamford’s 16th Premier League goal of the season helped Leeds United defeat Southampton in front of 8,000 fans at St Mary’s Stadium.
Bamford, who had earlier missed a chance when he only had goalkeeper Alex McCarthy to beat, flicked the ball into the net following Rodrigo’s ball over the Saints defence.
Leeds added a second in injury time when they countered and Bamford’s strike was parried by McCarthy, with Tyler Roberts blasting in the rebound.
Southampton’s best chance came early on but Che Adams’ header was tipped over by Leeds goalkeeper Kiko Casilla.
The victory takes Leeds up above Arsenal and Everton into eighth and guarantees Marcelo Bielsa’s side a top-10 finish.
Southampton remain 14th in the Premier League with one game of the season remaining.
Leeds continue fantastic season
Bamford’s goal, where he squeezed his shot past McCarthy from a tight angle, was a rare moment of quality in a scrappy, but entertaining match on a day where fans returned to Premier League grounds.
This was only the third time supporters had been at a Southampton home game in 2020-21, after 2,000 of them watched the 3-0 win over Sheffield United on 13 December and then the 1-0 loss to Manchester City six days later.
But they went home disappointed as Bamford scored one and made one to continue Leeds’ fantastic season.
After winning the Championship in 2019-20, which ended a 16-season absence from the top flight, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side have won many admirers with their attacking brand of football.
This win means they could become only the 15th team since the Premier League started in 1992-93 to finish in the top nine after winning promotion the previous season.
And the season could even end in European qualification, although they need results to go their way.
If Leeds gain a big win at home against West Brom, seventh-placed West Ham lose both of their last two games and Everton and Arsenal do not record another win, then Bielsa’s side can grab seventh and a spot in next season’s newly-formed Europa Conference League.
For 27-year-old Bamford, uncapped by England, a fine season has now taken him joint-fifth in the Premier League goal charts, only behind Tottenham’s Harry Kane, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (both on 22 goals), Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (18 goals) and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min (17 goals).
Fans create great atmosphere, but visitors triumph
Despite a downpour just before kick-off, the game began in bright sunshine on the south coast and the spectators helped create a great atmosphere.
Leeds goalkeeper Casilla was handed only his second Premier League start, while Bielsa kept his pre-match promise and left out Germany defender Robin Koch and Poland midfielder Mateusz Klich as they prepare for this summer’s delayed Euro 2020.
Casilla was instantly called into the action as he had to tip over a header from Adams in only the second minute.
Before the game, it was announced that Theo Walcott had agreed to sign for the Saints on a two-year permanent contract when his loan deal from Everton finishes and the ex-England winger had a good chance to open the scoring.
He took the ball around Casilla in the penalty area, although the Spaniard forced him wide – and from a tight angle Walcott had to pass, with no Southampton player on the end of his cross.
Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl brought on top scorer Danny Ings at half-time and James Ward-Prowse, who received the Player of the Year award before the game, skimmed the crossbar at the start of the second half.
Leeds did not have a shot on target in the first half, but grew into the game after the break and gave Saints a warning when Bamford burst through and was one-on-one with McCarthy only to take the ball too wide and run out of room.
The striker then collided with Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu and needed treatment, but he recovered and then steered in the game’s first goal, through McCarthy’s legs, in the 73rd minute.
Ings, like Bamford a contender for England’s Euro 2020 squad this summer, had a chance to grab an equaliser but missed and the hosts were caught on the counter-attack with McCarthy parring Bamford’s strike for Roberts to grab his first goal of the season in injury time.
Leeds impress on the road again – the stats
- Southampton lost their final home league game of a campaign for only the third time in the past 16 seasons (won nine, drew four), also doing so in 2016-17 against Stoke and 2017-18 against Manchester City.
- Leeds have won 10 or more away games in a single top-flight campaign for the first time since 1973-74, when they won 12 on the way to winning the title.
- Southampton are without a clean sheet in their past 10 home league games (15 goals conceded) after keeping shutouts in six of the eight before that.
- Leeds are only the second promoted team to win 10 Premier League away games in a single season (10), and the first to do so since Nottingham Forest in 1994-95 (10 in total).
- Leeds are only the second team in Premier League history to finish a campaign without a single away draw (won 10, lost nine), after Tottenham in 2018-19.
- Leeds striker Patrick Bamford’s haul of 16 goals Premier League goals this season is the most by a player for a promoted side in a top-flight season since Charlie Austin’s 18 for QPR in 2014-15.
- Bamford is the first player to score 10 Premier League goals away from home in a single season for a newly promoted club since Andy Johnson for Crystal Palace in 2004-05.
- Leeds sub Tyler Roberts scored his first-ever Premier League goal in his 27th appearance in the competition.
- Alex McCarthy made his 100th Premier League appearance for Southampton, just the third goalkeeper to hit that milestone for Saints after Paul Jones (193) and Fraser Forster (115).
What’s next?
The final day of the Premier League season is on Sunday and Southampton visit a West Ham side hoping to secure European football.
Leeds will have fans at Elland Road for the first time since March 2020 when they entertain already relegated West Bromwich Albion.
More to follow.
Player of the match
BamfordPatrick Bamford
Leeds United
Squad number9Player nameBamford
Squad number18Player nameRaphinha
Squad number15Player nameDallas
Squad number21Player nameStruijk
Squad number22Player nameHarrison
Squad number20Player nameRodrigo
Squad number28Player nameBerardi
Squad number11Player nameRoberts
Squad number14Player nameLlorente
Squad number23Player namePhillips
Squad number2Player nameAyling
Squad number10Player nameAlioski
Squad number6Player nameCooper
Squad number13Player nameKiko Casilla
Line-ups
Southampton
Formation 4-4-2
- 1McCarthy
- 2Walker-Peters
- 5Stephens
- 4Vestergaard
- 22Salisu
- 32WalcottSubstituted forDialloat 78′minutes
- 8Ward-Prowse
- 17Armstrong
- 12Djenepo
- 10AdamsSubstituted forIngsat 45′minutes
- 23TellaSubstituted forRedmondat 70′minutes
Substitutes
- 9Ings
- 11Redmond
- 14Obafemi
- 19Minamino
- 27Diallo
- 35Bednarek
- 40N’Lundulu
- 44Forster
- 47Ferry
Leeds
Formation 3-3-3-1
- 13Casilla
- 14LlorenteSubstituted forBerardiat 45′minutes
- 2Ayling
- 6Cooper
- 15DallasBooked at 56mins
- 10Alioski
- 23PhillipsBooked at 34minsSubstituted forStruijkat 45′minutesBooked at 66mins
- 20RodrigoSubstituted forRobertsat 78′minutes
- 18Raphinha
- 22Harrison
- 9Bamford
Substitutes
- 1Meslier
- 7Poveda-Ocampo
- 11Roberts
- 19Hernández
- 21Struijk
- 24Davis
- 28Berardi
- 46Shackleton
- 47Jenkins
Live Text
Match ends, Southampton 0, Leeds United 2.
Second Half ends, Southampton 0, Leeds United 2.
Corner, Leeds United. Conceded by Alex McCarthy.
Attempt saved. Raphinha (Leeds United) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Patrick Bamford.
Goal! Southampton 0, Leeds United 2. Tyler Roberts (Leeds United) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Patrick Bamford (Leeds United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Jack Stephens (Southampton) header from very close range is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Mohammed Salisu.
Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Liam Cooper (Leeds United).
Attempt missed. Danny Ings (Southampton) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Ibrahima Diallo.
Attempt missed. Nathan Redmond (Southampton) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by James Ward-Prowse.
Attempt missed. Nathan Redmond (Southampton) left footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Stuart Armstrong.
Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jack Harrison (Leeds United).
Foul by Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton).
Ezgjan Alioski (Leeds United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Offside, Southampton. Jannik Vestergaard tries a through ball, but Kyle Walker-Peters is caught offside.
Tyler Roberts (Leeds United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton).
Offside, Leeds United. Tyler Roberts tries a through ball, but Patrick Bamford is caught offside.
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