London (AFP) – Leeds forward Patrick Bamford struck twice to claim a 2-0 win over Wigan in the Championship on Saturday which served as a measure of revenge for a damaging defeat by them last season.

The brace by Bamford against a Wigan side reduced to 10 men saw Marcelo Bielsa’s side go top on goal difference with five sides level on seven points after three matches of the campaign.

Wigan, also then with 10 men back in April, had inflicted what turned out to be a fatal blow to Leeds’ hopes of automatic promotion to the Premier League last term coming from behind to beat Bielsa’s side 2-1.

The former Argentina and Chile coach said he was pleased with the manner in which the team’s performance was evolving in every match.

The eccentric Argentinian also believes the brace could be just the tonic 25-year-old Bamford needed after being guilty of some awful misses for the club.

“For a striker, scoring goals is always going to be important,” said Bielsa.

“It’s going to be a major positive for him and also for the team. Bamford is a player with a big personality, and to score two goals is obviously going to be exciting for him,” added the 64-year-old.

The unlikely duo of south London rivals Charlton Athletic and Millwall — who held on to beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 despite being down to 10 men — are among those on seven points.

– Buoyant Bilic –

The other two are teams expected who could well contest the promotions spots West Bromwich Albion and Swansea. 

Former Croatia and West Ham manager Slaven Bilic’s bright start at West Brom Albion continued as they came from behind to beat promoted Luton 2-1.

A double from substitute Grady Diangana turned the game on its head and changed Bilic’s mood.

“We have to be there, in the first half we weren’t there, so you have to be there and eventually the ball will hit you,” said Bilic.

“After that we gained confidence, they were knocked down of course, because they conceded a couple of goals in a period of the game where they were totally out-played.”

Swansea lost some key players in the close season but their expensive Spanish signing Borja Baston appears to have at last clicked and begun paying back the £15million the club paid to Atletico Madrid in 2016.

The 26-year-old — who scored his first goal for them in more than 1,000 days on the opening day of the season — grabbed a double as Swansea came from 1-0 down to beat Preston North End 3-2.

“Borja is happy, he is a big character who is very well liked in the dressing room and you can see he is enjoying life in Swansea,” said manager Steve Cooper.

“We saw parts of Borja at his best today, and that is being in the box scoring goals.”

Middlesbrough’s gamble on appointing former Leeds and ‘Boro defender Jonathan Woodgate as manager is yet to pay dividends.

A 1-0 defeat away at Blackburn Rovers leaves ‘Boro with just a point from their first three matches and beaten on penalties by fourth tier Crewe Alexandra in the League Cup earlier in the week.

Woodgate will hope the board remain faithful to him unlike Huddersfield’s as the club relegated from the Premier League sacked German Jan Siewert following their 2-1 defeat by Fulham on Friday.

That left Huddersfield with just one point from three league games with a midweek League Cup defeat to third-tier Lincoln adding to the gloom.

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