Leeds United's latest perfection proof hints at hangover promise — Graham Smyth's Derby Verdict — YEP 30/12/24

By Graham Smyth

Perfection is neither realistic nor attainable but that does not mean Leeds United should strive for anything less because they are so capable.

Pride Park has been the scene of Leeds-related near perfection. Most recently, Mateo Joseph scored no fewer than four goals in a single outing against the Rams Under 21 side. Prior to that, Mateusz Klich was breakdancing on the pitch after a still-merry Leeds team defied their headaches to win 3-1. The facial expression Ben White pulled at full-time said it all about how ropey he and his team-mates felt and yet they were well worth the victory.

That day was remembered fondly on Sunday evening by an away end that reminded their Derby counterparts of the guard of honour Leeds received as champions. By the time this latest battle of the two old clubs was done, Rams boss Paul Warne was virtually standing to applaud Leeds as champions elect.

A 1-0 victory, which followed a 2-0 win at Stoke City, was Leeds' third win on the spin. All three were achieved without conceding a single goal. A trio of wins to end the year and December, with just that one draw at Preston North End spoiling the perfect month.

As performances go, it wasn't perfection because there were missed chances galore and Derby were permitted to have possession of the football for some of the time. The hosts even had a little spell of pressure, albeit without ever testing Illan Meslier on his 200th appearance for Leeds. But Daniel Farke could ask for little more from his men because it was pretty damn near to the complete away display.

When it began, Derby played like the ones with a hangover. Warne said later they showed Leeds too much respect but in truth they weren't exactly given an option. Yellow shirts controlled the ball and where it went, they bombed deep into the area on both sides to create danger and early chances for Joseph. The game was about 10 minutes old before Derby enjoyed a foray into the Leeds half and they almost instantaneously handed possession straight back to their visitors.

Leeds' creativity was at least stymied for a time as Derby settled and rallied, there was just no real jeopardy in the game with it being so tightly within the away side's grasp. Eventually an Ethan Ampadu shot, a hopelessly wayward one, punctuated a tedious spell and then Joseph had a go from distance that had to be palmed round the post by Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.

A Kayden Jackson floated cross threatened briefly to creep in at Meslier's far post on the half hour mark but beyond that it was all Leeds. A lightning quick counter, started by Pascal Struijk, should have ended in the opener but Brenden Aaronson skied his shot when teed up slightly awkwardly by Joseph.

The second half began with another great opportunity for Aaronson after good work and persistence on the touchline from Joseph. Largie Ramazani got away on the left, his cross ended up at the American's feet and he failed to beat a scrambling Zetterstrom.

Jayden Bogle's every touch was being booed by his former supporters, even the one that put Joseph in on goal. The young striker snatched at the chance with a first-time effort that sailed over the bar.

That was when Derby started to play a bit and drew their crowd into it by winning free-kicks in promising areas. Meslier had to beat away a header from a corner. That was the last time he would be remotely troubled, however.

His opposite number had a far busier end to 2024. First there was a shot fired at him by Ramazani and then Manor Solomon played fellow substitute Daniel James in on goal, only for the in-form Welshman to misplace his recent ice-cold composure with an effort that hit the keeper's legs instead of the net. Ampadu headed wide from a corner in another moment that hinted Derby might just hold on for a point.

And then came perfection itself and a goal Farke correctly labelled as poetry. There was patience and crisp passing to probe and test Derby's defences and then there was speed of thought and foot to find a weakness and penetrate. Solomon to Piroe to Aaronson. Goal. What a goal. Another example of what this team is capable of. It was there in pre-season in some of the one-touch football played out in Germany against Hannover and Schalke. It was on display at Hillsborough when Aaronson scored his first away goal of the season. The prodigal son might not be the perfect number 10 but he is a goalscoring one and the timing of his arrival in the area was on this occasion, as it has been on so many others, impeccable. This was number seven for the season. The number of perfection, for now at least because he will want the same again in the season's second half.

It deserved to be and was the winner as Leeds moved top of the table by two points from Sheffield United, on what was almost the perfect day. The Blades were held by West Brom, Burnley were too by Middlesbrough and Sunderland lost.

A tally of 51 points from 24 games is excellence by anyone's definition and Farke is once again threatening a 90-point season. They will not win every game between now and the end of the campaign. The expectation at Elland Road is sky high but even Leeds fans recognise, now and again, that you cannot win them all. But this team is capable of winning lots of the 22 still to come. They're certainly good enough to win enough games that someone else has to follow in Derby's footsteps and lay on a guard of honour.

Against Derby club captain Ampadu had the look of a man determined to push for such a scenario at the end of this campaign. Back in the swing of things following that lengthy injury lay-off, the midfielder is looking more and more like the player who dominated so many games last season. Behind him Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon were not flawless but they were not far off. Bogle had another terrific game at right-back. And even if the attackers were hit and miss with their finishing, Farke has so many good ones that you always felt a goal was possible. There are so many good attackers at Leeds this season that it should always feel like at least one goal is possible. So with a rock solid defence and a scarily-talented attack, every game should be winnable. From 22 games the target should start out at 66 points, until such a time as one or two are dropped here or there, but three is what Farke wants each and every time they play.

His critics have been quieter in recent days, thanks to the wins on the road at Stoke and Derby, but they are entitled to opinions that will not go away so quickly. The last week and those two wins have shown, though, even if the quality of the opposition was not the strongest the division has to offer, that there could and really should be hangovers for everyone by the time all is said and done in May.