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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink stressed that Leeds United need to improve defending set-pieces following on from their opening day defeat to Liverpool in the Premier League.

Despite a fantastic and gutsy performance from newly-promoted Leeds, they ended up losing 4-3 against the reigning top-flight champions at Anfield.

Mohamed Salah scored a hat-trick for the Merseyside club, while Virgil van Dijk was also on hand with a powerful header to help them earn three points in dramatic fashion.

Ex-Leeds striker Hasselbaink singled out his former club’s problems from set-pieces and insists that has to improve moving forward.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side looked vulnerable every single time Liverpool got the chance to put the ball into the box.

Liverpool defender Van Dijk found room inside the Leeds box to head in a goal from a corner, while Salah similarly found himself in plenty of space in the penalty area to fire in a rocket after a failed clearance from a free-kick.

“Leeds has struggled today with set-pieces, all set-pieces were dangerous for Liverpool,” Hasselbaink said on Sky Sports’ Main Event channel (19:35, 12 September).

“In that area they need to improve because every team in this Premiership will have their kind of routine and they look at oppositions so they will need to get better at that.

TBR’s View:

Meticulous Leeds boss Bielsa will be extremely frustrated by the manner his side conceded some of their goals and they will surely be working hard on the training ground to fix that weakness.

But overall the Whites went toe-to-toe with the best team in England in their own backyard and on another day may have got something from the game.

Leeds are going to cause plenty of teams real problems if the opening game of the season is anything to go by and will also catch a lot of teams by surprise.