Leeds United's wretched form since returning from the break for the 2022 World Cup continued as they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Jesse Marsch's side had not won a Premier League match since beating Bournemouth 4-3 in November and they were unable to change that at the City Ground.

The Whites started quickly but were hit with a sucker punch in the 14th minute of the match as Brennan Johnson produced a wonderful volley from the edge of the box to beat Illan Meslier - slamming the ball into the back of the net from Pascal Struijk's clearance - and that turned out to be the only goal of the game.

One player whose performance was disappointing was centre-forward Patrick Bamford as the marksman failed what could be described as Marsch's big test at the City Ground.

Earlier this week, the club confirmed that Spanish striker Rodrigo, who has scored ten goals in the Premier League this season, is set to miss up to two months of action with a leg injury.

This afforded Bamford the opportunity to lead the line against Forest and it was a significant chance for the Englishman to prove that he can step up and fill the void left by the Spaniard.

He had scored two and assisted two in his last two FA Cup appearances but his Premier League form throughout the campaign has left a lot to be desired with the 29-year-old having only found the back of the net once so far.

Before being substituted in the second half, the former Chelsea man failed to trouble Keylor Navas as his two shots were either blocked or missed the target. The forward also ceded possession eight times from 25 touches and Marsch may not have been impressed by the lack of concentration and, or, quality with his passing.

This shows that Bamford struggled in possession and had very little impact on the team at the top end of the pitch, both in terms of the sharpness of his shooting and his creativity on the ball to help his teammates.

The £70k-per-week dud was also a lightweight in the number nine position as the forward was bullied out of the game by Scott McKenna and Willy Boly. He lost 100% (4/4) of his individual duels in the match and this shows that the striker struggled to deal with the physicality posed by the opposition.

Therefore, it is clear to see just how the 29-year-old failed Marsch's big test. In and out of possession, Bamford was unable to prove that he is the man to step up in Rodrigo's absence, which could lead to the manager thinking of alternative solutions for the upcoming matches.