Luca Koleosho’s solo strike puts Burnley back on track with win at Leeds | Championship

Well before the final whistle blew, three things were clear: Burnley manager Scott Parker is as tactically adept as he is well dressed, James Trafford looks a potential England keeper and Leeds often still struggle when Patrick Bamford is not on the scoresheet.

As well as Burnley’s good defence, it was also thanks to Parker’s team that they secured a morale-boosting victory against Trafford. This victory could prove to be of great importance when the music of the second tier stops and the promotion places are finally decided next spring.

Hollywood actor and Leeds investor Will Ferrell was at Elland Road to watch his first game since becoming a shareholder in the club. Despite being disappointed by Luca Koleosho’s 18th-minute goal, he almost had something to celebrate in the first minute.

When Mateo Joseph saw himself slip through with the goal in his hands, Ferrell looked ready to celebrate, but instead the striker hesitated for a moment and fired wide, leaving a resigned-looking Daniel Farke shaking his head. The Leeds manager had left a reportedly fit Bamford out of his matchday squad, but despite his immense potential, Joseph doesn’t seem quite ready to mount a promotion challenge.

Koleosho quickly showed him how to finish after capitalising on Manor Solomon’s unfortunate slip and quickly accelerating into the Leeds half before sliding a shot through Jayden Bogle’s legs and beyond the reach of an invisible Illan Meslier. As if sensing a sudden burst of autumnal chill, Farke pulled his trademark Parka tight around his body.

Across the way, in the adjacent technical area, Parker braved the weak Yorkshire sun in a light jacket and a neatly knotted skinny tie. Indeed, with his slicked-back, immaculately coiffed collar-length hair and immaculately polished brown boots, the former England midfielder now looks more like a Serie A head coach than a Championship manager.

This sharpness was clearly not limited to clothing matters. Parker began by pressing hard but struggled to contain Leeds. He ordered his team, who had gone three games without a win, to switch to an approach that emphasized containment and counterattacks. This led to increasing frustration for the home side.

However, Farke’s team probably should have been awarded a penalty when Joe Worrall caught Tottenham loanee Solomon from behind in the closing stages of the game, but their protests were ignored, leaving Burnley’s lead intact.

It was then protected by Trafford, with Parker’s England Under-21 goalkeeper showing exactly why Newcastle were so keen to splash £20m on him this summer by making a superb acrobatic save to deny Joseph’s swerving shot.

Although Trafford had earlier produced a good performance by coming out of his own penalty area to intercept a shot from Wilfried Gnonto and then making a fine save to deny Ethan Ampadu on the counter-attack, Leeds failed to assert their dominance and were all too easily criticised by the visiting goalscorers.

It didn’t help the local mood that Burnley were also prone to a bit of time-wasting. Not that Parker minded as he watched his outfield players take turns hugging Trafford at the end, before eventually wrapping his keeper in a long embrace himself. Burnley’s reduction to 10 men when Bashir Humphreys was sent off for a second yellow card deep into injury time proved academic.