Helder Costa sends message to Marcelo Bielsa with Leeds U23 goal

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One of the more intriguing decisions Marcelo Bielsa made at the weekend involved leaving Helder Costa on the Leeds United bench for their clash with Arsenal.

Costa had started every Premier League game for the Whites before that fixture. And while many were delighted with the decision to hand Raphinha a start, it was surprising to see Costa play no part at all.

Even when Bielsa wanted to bring a wide-player on, it was Ian Poveda who got the nod.

It was perhaps a statement that Costa has not quite done enough in recent weeks. There is no question that the 26-year-old was a revelation in the first few games of the campaign.

However, he has not scored and provided just one assist in his last six appearances. Meanwhile, Raphinha has looked incredibly bright in the early stages of his Elland Road career.

His omission opened the door for Costa to feature for the Whites’ under-23s on Monday. It was probably not a position he wanted to be in. But he was joined by a number of fellow first-team stars.

Like on Sunday, Costa did not start at Thorp Arch.

But he did come on at the break. And he certainly played his part as Leeds came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 against West Brom.

It was Tyler Roberts who scored the equaliser. But Costa took many of the headlines with a stunning winning goal.

It was a goal that prompted a number of Leeds fans to compare the strike with Eddie Gray’s famous goal against Burnley in 1970.

And it was certainly a reminder of what Costa – who earns £32,500-a-week, according to Spotrac – can do. Of course, some may be reluctant to get carried away given the opposition.

But having surprisingly played no part at the weekend, it was certainly the kind of statement Costa needed to make as he tries to win his place back.