Mighty Leeds Weblog

Dermot Gallagher might well be presiding over the Roses derby between Leeds United and Manchester United next week as part of his Ref Watch work for Sky Sports. By Lee Sobot Twenty seven years ago he was the man in the middle and awarding Howard Wilkinson’s Whites an early penalty as the hosts savoured a 3-1 victory against their arch rivals on Christmas Eve. Leeds would go on to experience a disappointing campaign in which they finished in 13th place whereas the Red Devils eventually reclaimed the Premier League title they had won in both 1994 and 1995, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team having been dethroned by Blackburn Rovers in the previous campaign. But Christmas came early for Leeds against Fergie’s side on December 24, 1995 in what remains the third most recent victory against the arch-enemy in the league. Leeds were handed a golden opportunity to go in front when Nicky Butt handled the ball in the area as the Red Devils looked to clear a Gary McAllister corner. McAllister’s ...