NEW season, familiar problems. Leeds United fans will be suffering from déjà vu on the evidence of Saturday’s 1-1 Championship home draw with Nottingham Forest.

The match was a carbon copy of Marcelo Bielsa’s maiden season in English football – attractive, fast-flowing dominant football but with the same failings.

There were too many unsuccessful crosses from either flank which didn’t locate a white shirt and when Leeds did create openings they could not put away their chances.

The Whites bossed the game more or less from start to finish and should have been out of sight before Lewis Grabban scrambled in the visitors equaliser on 78 minutes after Leeds failed to deal with a corner. It was Forest’s only shot on target.

Despite all their fine football, Leeds had only one goal to show for their efforts, Pablo Hernandez calmly despatching Mateusz Klich’s 58th minute pass.

Patrick Bamford could not build on his fine start in the season’s opening win at Bristol City. His link-up play, ball retention and work were exemplary but he lacked a killer instinct in front of goal.

A superb through ball by impressive home debutant Ben While sent him through in the first-half but he opted not to shoot first time and ended up scuffing the ball against a post.

For all their dominance, Leeds rarely tested Forest goalkeeper Arijanet Muric but he was stranded when a miscued overhead kick by Bamford clipped the bar after another spell of sustained pressure.

Having been unable to put enough daylight between themselves and Forest there was an air of inevitability about the equaliser. Leeds have now failed to win any of their last four games at Elland Road.

White was the only new starter although new acquisition Helder Costa gave glimpses of his pace and trickery when he was introduced late in the game. Costa, along with new loan signing Eddie Nketiah, will be hoping to start Tuesday’s televised Carabao Cup trip to Football League newcomers Salford City.

Bielsa said: “We lost two points so we are disappointed with the result, but the team is growing and not losing the ball easily. We didn’t receive counter-attacks today. They (Forest) scored from a corner which we gave away. We had a lot of chances to put the ball in the box from the sides. We had players in the box waiting for the ball. But of course this is something that we can improve.”

Bielsa refused to complain about referee Rob Jones, who waved away appeals for a spot-kick when Jack Robinson challenged Stuart Dallas in the box in stoppage time.

“It’s very difficult to be a referee,” added Bielsa. “I don’t know if it was a penalty but we had enough ways to solve the game without this.”

Leeds United: Casilla, Douglas, White, Cooper, Dallas, Phillips, Forshaw, Klich (Costa 80), Hernandez, Harrison (Alioski 73), Bamford. Subs (not used): Meslier, Berardi, Bogusz, Shackleton, Clarke. Cautions: Phillips, Forshaw

Nottingham Forest: Muric, Worrall, Dawson, Robinson, Silva (Sow 57), Watson (Mir 72), Cash, Lolley, Semedo, Adomah (Ameobi 64), Grabban. Subs (not used): Samba, Ribeiro, Figueiredo, Jenkinson. Cautions: Sow, Robinson

Referee: Rob Jones.

Attendance: 35,453.