leeds united Wrote Premier League history by ending a 45-year winless streak at Old Trafford with a 2-1 win over Manchester United on Monday evening.
Jaka Bijol was one of the key players in the victory, holding firm at centre-back for the 90 minutes against national teammate Benjamin Cesco.
It was a big moment for the 27-year-old, who arrived in the summer Daniel Farke has had to wait to be celebrated this season. Now it appears he has done just that, and big performances at Manchester United will only help.
a strong first half
The 2–1 win came courtesy of a great first-half performance, in which Leeds United applied high and sustained pressing, causing Manchester United problems.
Farke's team forced the home side into a number of mistakes, allowing Noah Okafor to score twice in the first half hour, giving Leeds United a strong position at half-time.
Jaka Bijol was certainly impressed, admitting he took advantage of Manchester United's recent extended break.
"We played a really good first half," Slovenia's AKIPA quoted him as saying.
"On the other hand, United had not played for 25 days, which is probably a little noticeable, because the training sessions are not the same. This time we were right, it is an important win for us, important three points."
slovenia conflict
The key to the win was keeping Benjamin Cesco calm throughout the game. This was a task at which Jaka Bijol was particularly skilled.
While the Slovenian striker was a threat, he only really came close to getting his name on the scoresheet once. Leeds United goalkeeper Carl Darlow dealt with it well.
Bijol knew what he needed to do to ensure that his international teammate did not get the better of him.
"Benny also had a good chance, if he had scored then maybe we would have talked a little differently," He added.
“But football is like that, sometimes he gives you, sometimes he takes a little away from you. Sometimes it's better not to jump with Benny, because when he jumps, sometimes I can only see a shadow (laughs).
"I think we played really smart, we just suffered a little bit unnecessarily in the second half. But maybe that's why it's even better."
'Subconscious fear at Leeds United'
Leeds United were heading for a more comfortable evening when Lisandro Martínez was sent off in the 56'th minutes.
Instead, that red card appeared to inspire Manchester United, with Casemiro's header getting them back into the game in the 69.th minutes.
The final 20 minutes came alive as Manchester United pushed for an equalizer and Leeds United fell behind. Ultimately, it turned out to be a tactic that worked.
However, it was stressful for Daniel Farke's side, who have now moved away from the relegation battle. And Jaka Bijol admits that there was an atmosphere of fear.
"We had a top performance on the road, but in the end we lost a lot of points. That's why this time we had a subconscious fear that we would concede a late goal." He concluded.
