The Leeds United defender was one of many who played brilliantly vs Man Utd
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
11:30, 16 Apr 2026
Bijol battles Slovenia teammate Benjamin Sesko
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Bijol battles Slovenia teammate Benjamin Sesko(Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Jaka Bijol says Leeds United’s late-game concessions throughout this season hung in the back of his mind in the dying embers of Monday's historic win over Manchester United.
After Lisandro Martinez's red card, Leeds found themselves 2-0 up facing 10 players from the 56th-minute onwards but Casemiro’s headed goal set up a nervous final 28 minutes for the Whites, who have conceded 11 goals after the 90th-minute across this season.
The most painful of these include Gabriel Gudmundsson’s own goal at Fulham, the 4-3 turnaround at Newcastle United and the two-goal comeback against West Ham United in the FA Cup before the joy of the penalty shoot-out win.
This time, though, Leeds clung on to win 2-1 and win at Old Trafford in the league for the first time in 45 years. Bijol, who played an immense role in the victory, admitted after full-time that the pain of past games had lingered in his mind towards the end.
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He told Ekipa: "We played a really top-notch first half. On the other hand, United had not played for 25 days, which is probably a bit late, because the training sessions are not the same. We were right this time, this is an important win for us, important three points.
“We also had top performances on the road, but we [have] lost a lot of points at the end. That's why we may have had a subconscious fear this time that we would concede a late goal."
Bijol was almost step-perfect in the game, barring one moment after half-time when Slovenia countryman Benjamin Sesko nutmegged him before forcing Karl Darlow into a save.
"Beni also had one good chance, if he had scored, we would probably have talked a little differently," Bijol confessed.
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“But that's how football is, sometimes he gives you, sometimes he takes a little away. Sometimes it's better not to jump with Beni, because when he jumps, I sometimes only see a shadow [laughs].
"I think we played really smart, we suffered a little unnecessarily in the second half. Maybe that's why it's even sweeter."
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