Farke exasperation with Leeds United man, Rooney fury and Rangers reunion in off-camera moments — YEP 2/1/24

Leeds United returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion with a 3-0 beating of Birmingham City that could easily have become a much more severe rout.

By Graham Smyth

Going into the game after back-to-back defeats on the road, Leeds knew the importance of a victory in front of their home fans but matters were complicated by suspension and injury. Already without Illan Meslier, Leeds lost second-choice keeper Karl Darlow to a dislocated thumb, bringing Kris Klaesson into competitive action for the first time since June. And with Pascal Struijk missing through a groin issue, the back four had to change again early on when Sam Byram damaged his hamstring. Despite the issues, Leeds were comfortable and once Patrick Bamford gave them the lead the result was never really in doubt. Here's the YEP take on the first game of 2024.

Good day: Junior Firpo

Sam Byram's injury presented a chance for Firpo and he took it. No one could ask for much more than the two assists he provided. The substitute got forward at will and helped Leeds to look dangerous on the left, albeit against a desperately poor Birmingham side. There were moments in the second half when he looked tired and unable to get back as quickly as he needed to but he deserved the plaudits he got from Elland Road. Had his header gone in, instead of hitting the post, it might have been his best ever day in a Leeds shirt.

Georginio Rutter

When the Frenchman plays at Elland Road he generally does so with a flamboyance that is irresistible and this was one of those occasions. The flicks, the turns, the beautifully weighted passes and successful take ons were all married to a work-rate that helped him to pop up all over the pitch. Performances like this deserve goals but he still got his Elland Road ovation when Farke took him off with five minutes to go. Playing at 10 looked like it suited him.

Patrick Bamford

That first goal was always going to feel good and given the length of Bamford's wait, there had to be a huge element of relief when he saw the ball hit the net. It was good centre forward play, to position himself between centre-backs and finish off an excellent Daniel James cross. And it was a big moment, because it will breed confidence and perhaps let him play without some of the pressure that was building around the goal-less streak. It was nice to see a smile on his face and celebrations that he and the fanbase could share in after such a difficult couple of years.

Daniel Farke

With things going wrong - the run of form, the suspension and injury double blow for Illan Meslier and Sam Byram - this could have been a day that made things worse for Farke. The German suddenly came under severe fire after the successive defeats to Preston and West Brom and had they lost to Birmingham the noise would have grown exponentially. Yet Leeds were on it from the start and though Birmingham were poor, they still had to be dealt with. Farke got the necessary performance from his men to stop a poor period from turning into a drama.

Bad day: Sam Byram

There was a long run of games that made it seem as if Byram's injury problems were not going to be an issue this season but he has been sucked into a frustrating cycle of minor niggles in recent weeks. The upsides of his addition as a free transfer were blindingly obvious, but so too was the potential risk given his injury history. The sight of him going to ground, as Joe Rodon signalled for a change, was the last thing Farke wanted to see. And if anything was an exclamation mark on the 'sign a left-back' refrain, this was it.

Wayne Rooney

It was difficult to discern much of a plan in Birmingham's play and although they looked dangerous once or twice on the break, the real problems emerged in the second half when the visitors looked so far below Leeds in terms of quality and endeavour. Rooney cut a dejected figure on the touchline as derisory chants rained down from all sides of Elland Road. This was as bad a performance from a visiting side as has been witnessed this season and it deserved a more humiliating scoreline than the 3-0 they suffered.

Off-camera moments

Ed Wootten starching one into the top corner past his goalkeeper Kris Klaesson from outside the area, just seconds after pinging a shot off the crossbar. Djed Spence and Siriki Dembele greeting each other as the teams headed to the dressing room for the last time. The pair were both out on loan in Ligue 1 for the second half of last season. Rooney furious with the fourth official as Ampadu got away with a two-handed shove in the back of Juninho Bacuna in the Blues' half of the pitch.

Farke unhappy with the way Rutter controlled the ball, with a fancy flick on the touchline, at only 1-0 up. The manager gave an exasperated flap of the arms and then a shake of the head as Rutter went on to win a free-kick in a good area. The Leeds boss imploring Klaesson to keep possession after the goalkeeper kicked it too long and handed the ball back to Birmingham at 3-0 with 20 to go. Glen Kamara, Crysencio Summerville and Juninho Bacuna having a laugh and a joke on the pitch at full-time. Bacuna and Kamara were team-mates at Rangers, and both he and Summerville have been Dutch youth internationals. Farke debriefing Klaesson on the pitch at full-time before his traditional post-win wave.