Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa praised Pablo Hernandez after the midfielder starred in the Whites 3-0 win over Fulham yesterday.

Having missed the defeat at Cardiff City last week, the Spaniard was on the bench at Elland Road and watched on as the Yorkshire outfit endured a tough opening 45 minutes.

Whilst Patrick Bamford had given Leeds the lead, they were surprisingly second best in the first half as the Cottagers controlled the play and had more chances.

That prompted a double half-time substitution from Bielsa, with Ezgjan Alioski joining Hernandez on the pitch.

And, it was a different story after the break, as the Yorkshire outfit looked confident in possession and the former Valencia man was at the heart of everything Leeds did well, which included a brilliant ball for Jack Harrison's goal.

After the game, Bielsa told the Yorkshire Evening Post just how pleased he was with Hernandez as he outlined the impact he had.

"In the second half it was better. When Pablo came onto the pitch he co-ordinated well the movement with Tyler [Roberts] and on the other hand, when we recovered the ball in the second half we found Pablo and he gave us long options to our team with accurate passes."

The verdict

Anyone who has seen Leeds play in the past few years will have quickly understood just how good Hernandez is, so it's no surprise that they are a different team when he plays.

That was highlighted perfectly yesterday as he completely changed the pattern of the game and a critical period.

So, he warrants the praise from the boss and the support as that win has seen Leeds take a massive step towards a return to the Premier League.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.