Mighty Leeds Weblog

Elland Road is rarely less than febrile on a matchday and with Manchester United in town, the bear pit was even feistier than normal. By Stuart Rayner Luke Ayling's header for Leeds United's first touch of the game elicited a huge, guttural roar. Weston McKennie, playing on the ground for the first time, showed he understood with a tackle on Tyrell Malacia that was as firm as it was fair. They roared it to the rafters – this is what English, never mind Roses, football is all about – then howled their disappointment when referee Paul Tierney stopped play for a head – or rather whiplash – injury to the tumbling left-back. There were bookable tackles aplenty too – far more than there were bookings. Sometimes the atmosphere lurched into the unacceptable, with inexcusable chants about the dead from both sets of supporters, but the main effect was to create an arm wrestle rather than a beauty contest. Leeds had their chances, often through Crysencio Summerville, but not t...

Leeds United created another host of chances in Sunday's Premier League clash at home to arch rivals Manchester United yet ultimately fell to another defeat as the Red Devils left with a 2-0 victory. Lee Sobot The lively Crysencio Summerville had several good opportunities for the hosts but the Red Devils went ahead with ten minutes left when Marcus Rashford headed home a Luke Shaw cross. The visitors then added a second just five minutes later as Wout Weghorst played in Alejandro Garnacho who fired past Illan Meslier in off the post. Roared on by an incredible crowd, Leeds began brightly and the Whites squandered a fine chance to ahead in the fourth minute when Summerville fired over from close range after the Red Devils failed to properly clear a Max Wober cross from the left. Crunching tackles from Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie either side of the chance raised the noise levels even further and Summerville continually found plenty of space down the right flank. The fi...

Leeds 0-2 Manchester United: Late goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho see Red Devils beat bitter rivals at the second attempt this week at Elland Road to cement top four spot Manchester United secured a 2-0 victory away to Leeds at the second attempt against their rivals this week Erik ten Hag's side had to be patient but Marcus Rashford scored and then Alejandro Garnacho netted Leeds, who are still without a permanent manager, put in a spirited display but couldn't take any points By OLIVER HOLT They had built a wall of sound at Elland Road and the volume had barely dropped, every minute full of fury, loathing, visceral roars and taunts. There were screams of approbation when tackles flew in and jeers of derision when a Manchester United player was hurt. The noise and intensity were relentless. For Erik ten Hag and his team this was football as a test of character. This was trial by hostility. Then, 10 minutes from the end, the noise, fury and hope ...

CELEBRATING MOMENTS Written by: Rob Conlon After Alejandro Garnacho created the winning goal in the Manchester derby last month, Scum boss Erik Ten Hag said of the teenager, “He has a skill that I don’t see many players having.” Ten Hag continued to praise, listing everything Garnacho has recently learned — how to play in a team, how to live, how to do the right things through the week, how to have the right attitude at training, how to be a team player with individual skills. Ten Hag was so effusive you could be forgiven for thinking he was talking about Wilf Gnonto. Leeds’ visit to Old Trafford pitted the young pup Garnacho against old dog Luke Ayling. If Ayling is an old dog, he’s not meant to learn any new tricks, but he still has a few things to teach Garnacho. Following the match, the winger who puts the fringe in fringe player posted two photos of himself looking frustrated to Instagram, with the caption: ‘When you don’t understand what is happening, remember that God is i...

TRANSITION Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman What were Leeds United close to at Old Trafford, and how close were they? Playing a game of football involves taking on the day’s opponent but also history, so here’s what Leeds were up to, leading 2-0 at the start of the second half. 28th February 1981 was the last time Leeds won a league game at Old Trafford, 1-0 thanks to Brian Flynn’s goal. You have to go back to 9th February 1974 for the last time the Peacocks led there by two, Joe Jordan and Mick Jones scoring in a 2-0 win. The present situation didn’t give Leeds much hope. The home team had won thirteen in a row at Old Trafford. The away team had just sacked their manager, let their owner tweet about a replacement being sorted, and let themselves be owned on Twitter by West Bromwich Albion. And yet, adversity suits Leeds United. That win in 1974 was the last of a 29 game unbeaten sequence from the start of the season that ultimately sealed a second league title, Leeds Unit...

Leeds United left Old Trafford with a hard-fought point, having prevented Manchester United from completing their comeback job. By Graham Smyth The Whites, under Michael Skubala’s caretaker charge, went 2-0 up against the side in third place in the Premier League, but conceded twice in the second half and came under heavy pressure as Erik Ten Hag’s men looked for a winner that never came. Skubala spoke of his pride at the determination shown by the players to dig out a point in such difficult circumstances, at such a difficult place, visiting Old Trafford just two days after the sacking of Jesse Marsch and in the midst of a long winless run. Here’s the YEP take on a dramatic night on the other side of the Pennines. Good day Willy Gnonto Every day is a good day to be Willy Gnonto. So often the main man in attack of late, he struck brilliantly to give the Whites the lead, boosting his already remarkable popularity with the fans. Turning it on against Manchester United, away...

Leeds United and Michael Skubala sent a message to prospective candidates in the race to replace Jesse Marsch with their 2-2 draw at Manchester United, reports YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth. By Graham Smyth Who would be a manager, at Leeds United? Not so much taking a job as climbing willingly into a pressure cooker, whoever replaces Jesse Marsch will need to be made of stern stuff. Even if the Whites were not perched above the relegation zone on a cushion made only of one place and the magnificent point gained at Manchester United on Wednesday, this would not be a job for the faint hearted. Ask anyone who has walked through the doors of Elland Road and spent any time at all around the place, particularly on matchdays, and they will all trot out the same description. Massive club. As with all clubs boasting size, stature and history, those things breed expectations and thanks to their rise from the Championship back into the Premier League where they belong, Leeds quit...

Golden boy Willy Gnonto has issued a reassuring message following Leeds United 'proof' despite a mixed feeling from his latest starring role. Lee Sobot Leeds headed for Wednesday night's Premier League clash at arch rivals Manchester United sat fourth-bottom in the Premier League table and having seen head coach Jesse Marsch sacked as Whites head coach following Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. The reverse left Leeds only above the division's drop zone on goal difference but the Whites produced a fine display at the third-placed Red Devils and raced into a 2-0 lead through strikes from Gnonto and a Raphael Varane own goal. Leeds were firmly on course for a memorable victory under the caretaker team of Michael Skubala, Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo only for Erik ten Hag's side to hit back through goals from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to seal a 2-2 draw. Gnonto, who netted after just 56 seconds, admitted his side were left with mixed feeli...

It was a measure of Leeds Unied's performance at Old Trafford that caretaker manager Michael Skubala said he was "disappointed" not to come away with victory. By Stuart Rayner This despite the fact he had only 20 minutes to prepare the team's shape after being handed temporary control of the team after Monday's training session. The Whites took a 2-0 lead through Willy Gnonto and a Rafael Varane own goal, and although the hosts responded with goals from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, Leeds hit the post with a Brenden Aaronson free-kick in between time. In the end, the points were shared in a 2-2 draw. "I'm really proud of the players, I thought they did really well," said under-21 coach Skubala, asked to take the team as the search for Jesse Marsch's permanent successor goes on. "It's a tough place to come. "We did a good job. I was a little bit disappointed because I thought we did enough to win the game. I tried to ...

After all the criticism Jesse Marsch took for desperately trying to put positive spins on points dropped, it would be churlish not to acknowledge that Leeds United failed to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. By Stuart Rayner But as 2-2 draws go, it was a massively encouraging one. "We're Leeds and we're proud of it," the away end sang at full-time, a refreshing change from Sunday's calls for a change in the dugout. Yes, Leeds took a 2-0 lead and were unable to keep it but the history books and form books both tell what a treat a point was. And it could easily have been three, with Brenden Aaronson hitting the base of the post from a free-kick at 2-1. It is 13 years since Leeds last won at Old Trafford, 21 since they beat the Red Devils in a Premier League match and 42 since their previous league victory at the home of their bitterest rivals. Whereas Leeds had won two of their last 17 matches, Manchester United had not lost at h...

Leeds United 2-2 Manchester United: Sancho came off the bench to score his first goal since September and deny the visitors a famous win Richard Jolly If it is a one-game reign, then what a game. Michael Skubala may return to the shadows, to the world of Under-21 management, but only after a heady taste of the limelight. Under the unknown, Leeds ended Manchester United’s run of 13 successive home victories. For an hour, they were on course for a first league victory at Old Trafford in Skubala’s lifetime. But, with and without Jesse Marsch, Leeds have a tendency to lose leads and Manchester United have the resolve to mount a response. Leeds were marching on together without Marsch, contributing to a classic, playing with a verve and a dynamism that may have been a reaction to the manager’s sacking. But, by the end, they only have two wins in 18 league games. Yet it was about a newcomer, a returning hero and the great constant in every Manchester United storyline at the moment. Whe...

Leeds United's fixture with Manchester United this weekend has been postponed due to concerns over the number of officers Greater Manchester Police will have at their disposal By Joe Donnohue Leeds’ Premier League fixture with Manchester United this Sunday has been called off, leaving the Whites with an unprecedented 29-day break between first-team games. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last week, matches throughout the United Kingdom were postponed as a mark of respect, including Monday, September 12th’s home game against Nottingham Forest. Football is preparing to return to normality with fixtures in the Football League set to take place in midweek and at the weekend, however there are doubts over selected fixtures due to logistical and safety concerns. Preparations are underway for the late monarch’s funeral, to be staged on Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey in London, which will require a sizeable police presence as various heads of state and Royal f...

He was a defensive rock who will be forever remembered for putting the ball in the Man U net. By Andrew Hutchinson David Wetherall will always have a special place in the minds of Whites watchers from the 1990s thank to two goal-den moments both of which came against their Pennines rivals at Elland Road. The first arrived on September 11, 1994 when the central defender’s infamous mishit strike opened the scoring for the Whites in a 2-1 Elland Road victory and paved the way for a first league win over the red side of Manchester since the final game of the 1979/80 campaign. Wetherall shared the headlines with Brian Deane that day, but on another autumnal afternoon just over three years later, the defender stole the limelight, rising above Gary Pallister in the 34th minute before thumping a header past the hesitant Peter Schmeichel to seal a sweet 1-0 success. And Wetherall has particular reason to remember September 27, 1997: “I was fortunate enough to score twice against Manch...

New boss Andy Taylor said his Leeds United under-23s had executed a plan to perfection in Tuesday night's victory against Manchester United, and saluted the mammoth Elland Road crowd. By Lee Sobot Former Whites loans manager Taylor is in interim charge of the Whites youngsters following former boss Mark Jackson's move to be part of Whites head coach Jesse Marsch's backroom team. Taylor's tenure began with a 1-1 draw at Mansfield Town in the Premier League Cup last week and United's youngsters then produced a superb performance in Taylor's first home game in charge against their Roses rivals at Elland Road. Manchester United's under-23s lined up at Elland Road sat fifth in the Premier League Two Division One table but fourth-bottom Leeds steamrollered the Red Devils as Stuart McKinstry, Max Dean and Archie Gray all bagged a goal apiece. The Whites youngsters were cheered on by a bumper crowd of 9,808 and Taylor was left with huge praise for both his...

Archie Gray netted a screamer from 35 yards out as Leeds United's under-23s romped to an impressive 3-0 victory against Manchester United's under-23s in Tuesday night's clash at Elland Road. By Lee Sobot New Whites boss Jesse Marsch looked on as nearly 10,000 fans saw the young Whites steamroller the Red Devils through strikes from Stuart McKinstry, Max Dean and the pièce de résistance from Gray. Leeds squandered a fine chance to go ahead in the eighth minute as Sam Greenwood stormed down the right hand side of the box and provided a pinpoint cutback for Jack Jenkins whose shot from the middle of the area was saved by Ondrej Mastny. But the Whites made no mistake four minutes later as the impressive McKinstry tucked home a fine finish into the bottom right corner after Greenwood's shot was blocked, Jamie Shackleton and Crysencio Summerville heavily involved in the build up. Leeds should have then doubled their advantage five minutes later as a lovely ball from...

I THANK MY SPARK INSIDE Written by: Steven York It’s no secret Marcelo Bielsa instructs his teams to play a specific way. You don’t need to stand on a public footpath and observe a training session to discover what tactical system he’ll be fielding. The limitation is that it relies on winning individual battles for it to work. Lately we’ve been losing those battles. It’s obvious why they’re being lost, too, even if football pundits (and many fans) are willfully blind to it. Leeds just don’t have the calibre of players in every position for this system to routinely work at this level. That’s partially because we’ve been so unlucky with injuries (see Pat Bamford, Kalvin Phillips and the carousel of centre-backs in Rob Price’s hospital for wounded players). But it’s also partially because the Premier League has such high quality and many in our squad are playing at the ceiling of their abilities. That’s no criticism. We have great players, who I love dearly. But watching the game ...

THE SIN OF THE COACH Written by: Rob Conlon When Marcelo Bielsa asked a reporter if he could be more precise with the first question of his pre-Liverpool press conference, he wasn’t trying to be provocative. Bielsa is often apologising for repeating the same answers, because he keeps getting asked the same questions, so when a journalist from Sky Sports opened the presser on the topic of Robin Koch’s head injury, Bielsa wanted to make sure he understood exactly what he was being asked before answering in detail. The initial question prompted a simple answer. The question: “Robin Koch is out of the Liverpool game following the concussion protocol — how is he feeling now and what are your thoughts on the incident?” The answer: “He’s perfect,” which I think meant Koch is perfectly fine for someone currently ticking off the stages of recovery required for a return from concussion. It was the next part Bielsa wanted clearing up. “Can you be more precise in your question towards the en...