Bielsa admits Leeds were well off the pace in defensive horror show

Marcelo Bielsa admitted that Leeds were the architects of their own downfall as his side were thrashed 6-2 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Raphinha lost possession inside two minutes to allow Bruno Fernandes to ghost forward and tee up Scott McTominay, who drilled home past Illan Meslier.

After another confident finish from McTominay saw the Scot double his tally for the match a minute later, Fernandes got himself on the scoresheet after Luke Ayling had failed to clear the danger.

Victor Lindelof and Liam Cooper exchanged goals before more sloppy defending from Ayling allowed Daniel James too much room before the Welshman shifted the ball onto his left foot and nutmegged Meslier.

Pascal Struijk's clip of Anthony Martial saw Fernandes score his second of the afternoon from the spot and rounded off a miserable day defensively for the visitors before Stuart Dallas' 73rd-minute consolation and Bielsa recognised that his team were far below their best at both ends of the pitch having beaten Newcastle 5-2 in midweek.

'In the first half we had similar opportunities to the ones they had and we weren't able to score them,' he said.

'Our attack came from combination play and their attack came from the fact that we were losing the ball in attacking positions.

'Our returns (recovery runs) were slower than their transition. It was linked to the fact that we couldn't finish our attacks and our returns were not at the speed needed.'

Despite the emphatic nature of the defeat, Roy Keane, who was covering the match for Sky Sports, felt that Leeds fans should have no concerns about being involved in a relegation fight.

'I think Leeds will be fine. I love the way Leeds play - you talk about sport being entertainment, and that's what they do,' Keane said.

'His belief is what makes him a coach. He's not going to change his ways of coaching.

'All the top coaches and managers are very stubborn. I think we all enjoy watching them. They're having a go. For the points they've got so far, it's been excellent.'

Heading into the game, Bielsa was adamant that he would not deviate from his attacking principles. His mind has not been changed by today's performance.

'I already explained what I thought happened in the game,' the 65-year-old said. 'If the opposing team is able to impose their style on us it means the opposing manager was able to neutralise it. We will correct things but we will not abandon the way we play.'