Marsch steps out of Bielsa's shadow with a Leeds United display Elland Road's waited 898 days for

It may have come in Jesse Marach’s 15th competitive fixture as Leeds United head coach rather than his first, but the manner of Sunday’s win bore the hallmarks of Marcelo Bielsa’s Stoke City opener in 2018. They were similarly sun-kissed August afternoons at Elland Road and each match left many walking away with their mouths gaping.

Much in the way Bielsa’s 3-1 education of Gary Rowett left you in awe at what you were seeing, Marsch’s dismantling of Chelsea was finally the first time it felt like it really clicked under him. At long last, after all of the doubting and worrying about the system, the players and the head coach, we got to see the American’s vision on the field.

Not only did the penny drop on how his tactics worked, but the effectiveness of his philosophy at full tilt will encourage fans about where this season could be heading. This wasn’t just a half-decent, narrow victory over some lower mid-table fodder, this was a three-goal procession which trampled all over a team that won the Champions League 15 months ago.

Marsch's new Leeds United hand signal, Aaronson and Rodrigo get carried away in moments missed

The American spoke a little after the match about acceptance and whether, as 33,000 Leeds fans sang with unbridled joy about his team, he finally felt like he had arrived at Elland Road. Yes, Marsch actually signed on nearly six months ago, but until yesterday the spectre of Bielsa has hung over Marsch, the notion it’s the Argentine’s team trying to play in an alien way.

Marsch stepped out of Bielsa’s shadows on Sunday and lay what felt like the first brick in the legacy he will look to build of his own in West Yorkshire. He said: “There's probably still a lot of doubts in me [from the fans].

“No, it's