Daniel Farke praised his Leeds side’s ruthless mentality after a crushing 4-0 win over struggling Oxford kept up the heat on Sheffield United at the top of the Championship.
Leeds made it nine straight league wins at Elland Road to stay second after a potent performance which delighted the Leeds manager.
Second-half goals from Jayden Bogle, Brenden Aaronson and Manor Solomon added to Dan James’s opener as Leeds overwhelmed the visitors.
“It was the perfect way to start the Festive days. It was an important win, an impressive scoreline and impressive performance. I’m quite delighted with it,” said Farke.
“For us to return back to the dressing room with a clean sheet and a few important points and a result that was also good for the goal difference, I’m really happy with tonight.
“This league is relentless and if you want to be successful you have to be relentless yourself. So far so good we are there with quite an impressive points tally but it’s not even half time so we know there’s a long road coming up so we have to stay down to earth and humble if we want to have something to cheer about.”
Caretaker coach Craig Short, who took charge for the visit to West Yorkshire after the sacking of Des Buckinham last week, admitted Oxford – who are now second from bottom – were outclassed.
“That’s the best I’ve seen this year, by a long way. Those boys are Premier League players,” said Short.
“I was disappointed with the nature of the goals but there’s a massive gulf in class in this division, we’ve realised that recently.
“We’re in a mini-league and the honeymoon period is over. I hope the new manager gives us a lift.”
Gary Rowett who will take charge officially against Cardiff on Boxing Day, watched on from the stands.
Rowett, the ex-Millwall, Derby and Birmingham manager, faces a fight to avoid an immediate return to League One for Oxford after winning promotion last season.
It took the home side only nine minutes to unlock the packed visitors’ defence with James striking after determined play down the left from Solomon. The on-loan Spurs wing muscled his way past the stretched Oxford defence before squaring for James to slide in at the far post for his fifth goal of the season.
Had Oxford managed to equalise through Przemyslaw Placheta, who spooned his left-footed finish over the bar after being put through by Owen Dale, or Ciaron Brown who wasted a free header from Tyler Goodhrham’s free-kick it could conceivably have been a different story.
But once Bogle had scored Leeds’s second in the 57th minute the points were safe. The former Sheffield United full-back interchanged passes with Aaronson neatly down the right before finishing from an acute angle.
Aaronson made it 3-0 10 minutes later, finishing off some good approach work from Solomon for his sixth goal since returning from his loan spell at Union Berlin.
Solomon got on the scoresheet himself in the 73rd minute, beating Cumming at his near post with a fierce shot after being put in by Piroe.
Attention now turns to two successive games on the road for Leeds at Stoke on Boxing Day and then Derby on December 29.
