Leeds United: Hat-trick hero Roofe won't demand role as first-choice striker

Kemar Roofe celebrates his second goal with his team-mates.

Kemar Roofe took home his second match ball of the season but insisted he would not demand the role of first-choice striker at Leeds United after a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.

Roofe produced a clinical hat-trick to hand Leeds a third victory in five games at Loftus Road and follow up his treble in a League Cup defeat of Newport County in August.

The forward struck three times in the final half-hour yesterday as United’s class told towards the end of a scrappy game and his performance made the most of an unintended tactical switch by head coach Thomas Christiansen.

Roofe moved from the left wing to a role up front after Caleb Ekuban was injured seven minutes before half-time.

Kemar Roofe celebrates his hat-trick with Pawel Cibicki.

Leeds had made little impression on QPR’s defence but Roofe picked off Ian Holloway’s side impressively by converting crosses from Gjanni Alioski and Pawel Cibicki and driving home a third goal deep into injury-time.

The former Oxford United player, who scored 26 times for Oxford during the 2015-16 term, has been in and out of United’s side this season and restricted to limited chances in his preferred position by Ekuban and Pierre-Michel Lasogga.

His hat-trick established him as United’s top scorer in the Championship but asked if he would be knocking on Christiansen’s door, Roofe said: “It doesn’t work like that. I just keep my head down and keep working.

“Hopefully I’ve shown people that that’s my preferred position but obviously wherever I get put I’m going to give 100 per cent.