Bamford end Villa’s perfect start

| | Birmingham
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Bamford end Villa’s perfect start

Sunday, 25 October 2020 | AFP | Birmingham

Marcelo Bielsa insisted Patrick Bamford deserves all the credit for transforming his career after the striker’s hat-trick inspired a 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Friday.

Bielsa’s side moved into third in the Premier League thanks to Bamford’s 19-minute treble in the second half at Villa Park.

Bamford had one goal in 27 Premier League appearances prior to this season, but he already has six in six games this term. The hat-trick provided a sweet moment for the 27-year-old, who endured a long and winding road to the top enduring long-running criticism of his finishing.

Bamford had seven loan spells during his time as a Chelsea youth academy graduate before moving to Middlesbrough, then finally finding his feet under Bielsa’s tutelage at Leeds.

For Villa, their four-game winning run came to a halt as they missed the chance to start a season with five successive victories for the first time in their history.

Villa only escaped relegation on the final day of last season, so the first defeat could serve as a reality check for Dean Smith’s team after their unexpectedly strong start.

Smith had told his players they would get “a bloody nose very quickly” if they rested on their laurels, but they did not heed the warning as Bamford delivered the knockout punches.

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