Category: Leeds United

Leeds United 7 – Cardiff City 0 – HT 2-0

B. Aaronson (6′),

M. Solomon (13′),

D. James (50′),

J. Piroe (65′ pen, 90’+5),

W. Gnonto (67′),

Mateo Joseph (88′).

Assists –

D. James (6′, 13′),

J. Firpo (50′, 88′, 90’+5),

A. Tanaka (67)

Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 35,810

WOW WOW WOW

League leaders Leeds United maintained their advantage at the top of the Championship as a dominant display earned them a stunning win over Cardiff City at Elland Road.

The hosts made a dream start with Dan James providing two assists inside 13 minutes as Brenden Aaronson and Manor Solomon both finished from close-range.

James got a deserved goal after converting Junior Firpo’s inviting cross and the Wales winger also won a penalty on 65 minutes, converted coolly by Joel Piroe.

Rampant Leeds scored a fifth when sub Wilfried Gnonto glided through the Cardiff defence and finished precisely from the edge of the penalty area and Mateo Joseph added a sixth after 88 minutes.

Cardiff’s humiliation was completed in the final minute of added time as former Swansea striker Piroe scored his second goal of the game to ensure their heaviest league defeat since 1966.

Both managers made two changes to their starting XIs as two of the form sides in the Championship met at a ground that has generally been a happy hunting spot for the Bluebirds.

Cardiff headed to Elland Road not only unbeaten in nine games, but having lost just one of their previous 13 away league games at Leeds, winning seven times.

However, Leeds, unbeaten in 11, are currently the team to beat in the second tier and they underlined that status by punishing the visiting Bluebirds from almost the first whistle with Wales winger James taking the role of chief tormentor.

He provided the opener as he raced clear and kept his composure after rounding the Cardiff goalkeeper, picking out a perfect pass for Aaronson to convert.

Leeds can be a force at Elland Road and defend a lead like no other side in the division and were soon 2-0 ahead as Piroe’s pass sent James clear and his excellent cross was converted at the back post by Tottenham loanee Soloman.

The hosts looked like they might score every time they attacked and Firpo dragged wide, Jak Alnwick saved from James and Piroe saw a 20-yard effort flash past the upright in a half that also saw a James effort ruled out for offside against Solomon.

Leeds were levels above Cardiff in a first half where the Bluebirds did not even get a sniff at goal with Illan Meslier a virtual spectator until the 44th minute when Anwar El Ghazi sent an apologetic effort his way from 25 yards.

Cardiff have showed renewed resilience in recent weeks and had been on their best run of the season, but were simply outclassed by Leeds in every regard as the hosts added a third on 50 minutes after Firpo’s brilliant cross was turned home by James following a fine passing move.

The Bluebirds were in damage limitation mode but went 4-0 down after Callum O’Dowda fouled former Swansea winger James and Piroe slotted home the penalty.

Gnonto then added a brilliant fifth as he sliced through Cardiff’s defence and fired the ball back across goal into the corner.

Cardiff keeper Alnwick made several saves, while Piroe and Largie Ramazani could also have added to the tally.

However, there was to be a sixth goal as Joseph finished from another brilliant Firpo cross, with Piroe adding to Cardiff’s torment with virtually the final kick of one of the most one-sided football matches of the season.

WOW WOW WOW

What a performance by the team, making a huge advantage with the goal difference as well, which is starting to become like an extra point for us in the race to promoted.

We need to carry this on into the last 16 games of the season, as there is still only 5 point between the top 3 teams.

Marching On Together.

League position 1st after 30 games – After 30 games last season, Leeds were 2nd

Leeds United 1 – Manchester United 1 – HT 0-0 

B. Aaronson (62′)  Matheus Cunha (65′) 

Assists – 

P. Struijk (62′)        J. Zirkzee (65′) 

Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 36,909 

After a great month in December where we managed to stay unbeaten and open a gap from the bottom teams, could we continue that into 2026, playing one of our fierce rivals Manchester United? 

Manchester United’s poor run of form continued at Elland Road, but head coach Ruben Amorim had Matheus Cunha to thank for his side not suffering even more damage against Leeds. 

Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed a first-half effort against the post for the in-form hosts before Brenden Aaronson finished superbly with a low, 62nd-minute effort. 

At that stage, Amorim was in the firing line after his side had failed to beat bottom-of-the-table Wolves at Old Trafford on Tuesday. 

However, against opponents who had two days less to prepare, Cunha levelled three minutes later when he ran on to a pass from substitute Joshua Zirkzee and slid a shot underneath advancing Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri. 

It was only the Brazilian’s fourth goal since his £62.5m summer move from Wolves and came at a time when Amorim is without four key attacking players because of a combination of injury and international duty. 

Not that Leeds will care about that given their lack of preparation time. 

Noah Okafor forced a full length save out of Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens with a spectacular overhead kick and visiting heads were in hands when Benjamin Sesko, who is struggling to make an impact, turned Zirkzee’s cut-back wide from six yards. 

Cunha, who had a goal ruled out for offside much earlier in the contest, also fired against a post late on. 

The point extends Leeds‘s unbeaten run to seven games, their longest since 2001, and takes them eight points clear of the relegation zone. 

For the visitors though, it was yet another opportunity to move into fourth spot, albeit only for a matter of hours, wasted. 

So, another important point and continue our unbeaten run. This is great to see that we are competing against the teams in the top of league and should enable us to stay in Premier League. 

 Marching On Together.    

 League position 16th after 20 games. 

Leeds United 1 – Blackburn Rovers 1  HT 0-0

P. Struijk (88′ pen) D. Batth (90′)

Assists

J. Rankin-Costello (90′)

Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 36,645

Welcome to 2025 and can Leeds continue their fine form to get promotion back to the Premiership?

First match of the New Year is a Yorkshire / Lancashire rivalry.

Danny Batth bundled in an injury-time equaliser within minutes of a controversial Pascal Struijk penalty opener as Blackburn Rovers denied Championship leaders Leeds United victory in a pulsating finish at Elland Road.

Struijk coolly stroked home what seemed likely to be the winner from the spot in an underwhelming match of very few chances after Dominic Hyam was adjudged to have felled substitute Mateo Joseph.

But a far-post corner led to promotion hopefuls Rovers drawing level within two minutes and prevented Leeds from winning a 10th successive home league game when Batth reacted quickest to score from close range from a Hyam header.

The centre-back’s intervention means Leeds remain three points clear at the top of the table having missed the chance to extend their lead to five over third-placed Sheffield United, who play at Sunderland in the late Wednesday night kick-off.

Leeds came close to snatching victory in 11 minutes of stoppage time but goalkeeper Aynsley Pears made a brilliant save to keep out a fine Max Wober volley.

The dramatic ending was in stark contrast to an otherwise uneventful New Year’s Day fixture which produced a rare draw between the sides, the first time in 16 matches that the meeting has not had an outright winner.

Well not the way we wanted to start the New Year, with 70% of possession and just the one goal. As I’ve mention before, win your home games and pick up points away, so this is like two points drops, especially conceding so late in the game.

At least we start the New Year still in 1st place, onwards and upwards.

Marching On Together.

League position 1st after 25 games – After 25 games last season, Leeds were 4th.

Leeds United 3 – Middlesbrough 1 – HT 1-0

W. Gnonto (14′)  M. Wöber (54′ og)

D. James (74′)

B. Aaronson (90’+2)

Assists

J. Piroe (74′)

A. Tanaka (90’+2)

Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 36,422

Late goals from Dan James and Brenden Aaronson sent Leeds United top of the Championship with victory over Middlesbrough in a fascinating encounter.

Wales’s winger James fired past Seny Dieng in the 74th minute before Aaronson added a third in injury time to move the Whites two points clear of Sheffield United, who are away to Millwall on Wednesday.

It was an eighth straight win at Elland Road for Daniel Farke’s side as they strengthened their bid for automatic promotion back to the Premier League after two seasons away.

Willy Gnonto put the hosts in front early in a first half in which they dominated, only for Max Wober to head into his own net nine minutes after the break.

Ben Doak had a great chance to put Boro ahead before Leeds late onslaught, as the Teesside club slipped one place to sixth.

Leeds second attempt at promotion back to the top tier has been founded on rock-solid form at home with 25 points out of a possible 30 this season.

The home form has really been strong after that defeat against Burnley in September, we have to keep this going and pick up points away from home to get us back to the premiership.

Marching On Together.

League position 1st after 20 games – After 20 games last season, Leeds were 3rd.

Leeds United 2 – Queens Park Rangers 0 – HT 1-0

J. Bogle (19′),

J. Piroe (90’+5)

Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 36,011

Last game before the international break, it will be great to go in with a victory, so where be on high when the players come back.

Leeds regained the winning habit against Queens Park Rangers to move second in the table with a hard-fought three points.

A first defeat in nine against Millwall last Wednesday had put a dent in Leeds promotion charge.

But against struggling QPR, Jayden Bogle’s first-half strike and a second from Joel Piroe in stoppage time proved enough for Daniel Farke’s side to put themselves on the shoulder of leaders Sunderland.

QPR fought hard in the face of relentless pressure from a dominant Leeds, who created a host of chances but struggled to convert until Piroe’s late nerve-settler.

Despite all their effort, defeat and results elsewhere left the west London club bottom of the table, two points adrift of Portsmouth and five from safety.

Leeds had chances to double or even triple their lead after Bogle‘s opener but had to settle for being one up at the break, the defender’s 19th minute strike in off the underside of the bar concluding some penalty area pinball.

Brenden Aaronson, Ao Tanaka were guilty of missing good opportunities but Solomon had the ball in the net after converting Byram’s cross only for the linesman’s flag to rule the latter offside in the build-up,

Even though the statistics at half-time painted an accurate picture of a QPR side under the pump, with Leeds having 10 shots to their one and nearly 70% of possession, the visitors might have gone in level had Jimmy Dunne kept a header down from a set-piece on 36 minutes.

After the break it was more of the same with the hard-working visitors continuing to frustrate their hosts.

Joe Rodon had a header blocked on 56 minutes and then Solomon was denied by a brave piece of goalkeeping from Paul Nardi, who was off his line quickly and took the shot in the face.

As the half wore on Leeds inability to put the game to bed started to fray some nerves around Elland Road, Zan Celar having an effort blocked and Sam Field firing just over from a central position.

Pascal Struijk missed a golden chance by firing wide and Wilfried Gnonto, Bogle and Piroe all had sights of goal but could not find the net.

Deep into added time, though, Piroe finally managed to dance his way through a crowded box and beat Nardi from a tight angle.

An important win after the defeat in the last game, but as I’ve mentioned, you must win your home matches.

Hopefully the international players will come back with no injuries and we can have a good build up to Christmas.

Marching On Together.

League position 2nd after 15 games – After 15 games last season, Leeds were 3rd.

Leeds United 2 – Sheffield United 0 – HT 0-0

P. Struijk (69′),

Mateo Joseph (90′)

Assists –

J. Rothwell (69′),

J. Piroe (90′)

Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 36,695

A big night in Yorkshire, with a local derby against Sheffield United, plus one of the form teams of the league at the moment too.

We haven’t lost a Yorkshire derby for 15 matches now, so we want that to continue.

Leeds United moved up to second in the Championship with a deserved 2-0 win over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United at Elland Road.

Both sides paid tribute to former Blades defender George Baldock before the match after his death at the age of 31 last week.

Largie Ramazani and Brenden Aaronson had good chances for Leeds in a goalless first half that the hosts had dominated.

Daniel Farke’s men continued to have the upper hand after the break and were rewarded when Pascal Struijk blasted in from a 69th-minute corner as the Blades conceded for the first time in more than 11 hours.

Substitute Mateo Joseph sealed the derby success with a 90th-minute second goal as he finished well from Joel Piroe’s pass.

The victory meant Leeds leapfrogged the Blades on goal difference with both sides having 19 points as Chris Wilder’s men lost for the first time in the league this season.

Big victory tonight and it sounded like we played well as well. We need to keep winning the home games and pick up points away from home when we can. Come on Leeds.

Marching On Together.

League position 2nd after 10 games – After 10 games last season, Leeds were 6th.

Leeds United 0 – Burnley 1

HT 0-1

                        L. Koleosho (18′)

Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 36,405

Not who we would have wanted to be playing after the international break.

Luca Koleosho’s textbook breakaway strike ensured Burnley got back to winning ways as Leeds United suffered a first Championship defeat of the season.

Koleosho made the most of Manor Solomon’s unfortunate slip and sprinted 70 yards before drilling a low shot across goal and beyond goalkeeper Illan Meslier to end a two-game winless league run.

Burnley, who had lost on seven of their previous nine visits to Elland Road, had keeper James Trafford to thank for notable saves from Wilfried Gnonto and Ethan Ampadu.

The visitors ended the game with 10 men after Bashir Humphreys was sent off deep into stoppage time after picking up a second yellow card.

Leeds bossed possession and territory throughout a feisty match and should have led inside a minute when Mateo Joseph shot wide when clean through, after racing through from the halfway line following a Maxime Esteve blunder.

The miss set the tone for an increasingly frustrating afternoon, with the hosts wasteful with the few real chances they created and a packed and well organised Clarets defence withstanding relentless second-half pressure.

While Leeds dominated the ball, with about 75% possession in the first half and almost 72% overall, Burnley were equally – if not more – threatening in attack.

Trafford got his angles spot on then, as he did to deny Gnonto from close range, but other than that he had very little to do before the break.

Leeds did have a decent claim for a penalty ignored when Joe Worrall rode his luck with a tackle from behind that won the ball but could easily have resulted in a spot-kick.

Scott Parker’s side grew in confidence from the moment Koleosho made the most of Solomon’s slip.

They defended deep with great organisation and discipline, and the pace and direct running of Jaidon Anthony and Hannibal Mejbri posed problems at the other end of the pitch.

A Zian Flemming strike was saved by Meslier, Anthony sent a low effort wide and Worrall headed over from a corner.

Trafford was unsurprisingly more involved as the pressure ramped up after the interval, making a brilliant fingertip save to keep out a Joseph curler, and deflecting Ampadu’s strike over.

But although the Leeds fans stayed with their team, they could not inspire any late drama and preserve their unbeaten start to the campaign.

So the 1st defeat of the season against one of the teams that were relegated.

At least we showed some fight, hopefully that’s a good sign for the rest of the season.

Marching On Together.

League position 9th after 5 games – After 5 games last season, Leeds were 15th.

Leeds United 3   –     Portsmouth 3 – HT 1-2

P. Struijk (10′ pen)    E. Sørensen (23′)

W. Gnonto (46′)       C. Lang (41′, 90’+2 pen)

B. Aaronson (90’+5)

Assists –

G. Rutter (46′)           M. Pack (23′)

J. Piroe (90’+5)

Venue: Elland Road Attendance: 36,432

Can you believe another season starts, early August, with the Euro’s only finishing last month too..

Let’s see what this season brings and with a lack of out and out striker, will that be our failing again?

Brenden Aaronson rescued a dramatic late opening-day point for Leeds United as they were pushed to the wire by Championship newcomers Portsmouth.

Pascal Struijk gave the hosts the lead from the spot after Daniel James was brought down but Pompey levelled through Elias Sorensen soon after.

Portsmouth took the lead into the break in impressive fashion as Callum Lang drilled home from long range but Willy Gnonto levelled for Leeds a minute into the second half.

Pompey were awarded a stoppage-time spot-kick when Jayden Bogle brought down Christian Saydee, leading to Lang slotting in a 92nd-minute penalty but Aaronson’s low shot ensured the hosts earned a point.

It was a miserable start at Elland Road for Pompey, who were making their return to the Championship for the first time since 2012.

Leeds dominated the opening stages and should have taken the lead when Gnonto and Ethan Ampadu both hit the post from close range within minutes of each other.

They then went ahead on 10 minutes as Struijk calmly dispatched his spot-kick into the bottom left-hand corner after Connor Ogilvie had fouled James.

The hosts’ advantage did not last for long however, as Portsmouth captain Marlon Pack sent a neat through ball to Sorensen, whose shot cannoned in off Leeds keeper Illan Meslier’s palm.

Despite Leeds controlling much of the opening half, they trailed heading into half-time as a free-kick was poorly cleared by the hosts, leading to Lang picking up possession, taking a touch and sending a rifled shot home past a diving Meslier.

Leeds atoned, however, as Gnonto picked up the ball and made a run into the Portsmouth box, slotting in low past Will Norris.

An already dramatic fixture kept on giving and a frantic stoppage time followed, with Lang easily slotting in his penalty – although replays suggested Bogle’s challenge on Saydee may have originated outside the box.

Undeterred, Leeds fought back and, in the fifth minute of added time Aaronson fired in an emphatic equaliser – then should have won it with one of the final kicks of the match but dragged his close-range shot the wrong side of the left-hand post.

A point is better than none, especially for a home game, though you need to win most of your home games.

We need to get back up this season, otherwise it will be a long time before we do, as more players will want to leave.

Marching On Together.

League position 10th after 1 game – After 1 games last season, Leeds were 10th.

The curse struck again!! Why do we fail at the last hurdle?

Southampton 1 – Leeds United 0 – HT 1-0

A. Armstrong, (24′)

Assist

W. Smallbone (24′)

Saints’ 11-year spell in the top flight came to an end after a wretched campaign last time out but, despite finishing one place and three points behind Leeds in fourth, it is they who join Leicester and Ipswich in going up.

Adam Armstrong scored the decisive goal with a clinical finish after being put clear by Will Smallbone.

Leeds substitute Dan James clattered a bouncing ball against the crossbar late on as they pushed for an equaliser but Russell Martin’s men saw out almost 12 minutes of time added on.

Defeat for Leeds consigned them to another season in the Championship and meant they have now lost their past three finals at Wembley without scoring and been unsuccessful in all six of their play-off campaigns. What is it with finals and Leeds?  We won all 4 matches against the two sides who went up, but had a bad record against Southampton. The defeat against QPR in the run in was a major blow.

Saints’ promotion means that all three play-off finals this year were won by the team who had finished lower in the league table, with the team who had finished higher failing to score in all three.

German Farke said after the play-off win over his former side Norwich he would not have returned to England to take over any other Championship club than Leeds, having twice won the division with the Canaries.

He, like the thousands of Leeds fans at Wembley, will be left with recriminations from a day where his side didn’t get going until it was basically too late.

The Whites became the first second-tier side to accumulate 90 points and not go up automatically since Sunderland in 1997-98, with the Black Cats also beaten in that season’s play-off final.

Questions will now linger over the futures of Championship player of the season Summerville, teenage star Archie Gray and French forward Georginio Rutter.

With the backing of the 49ers Enterprises investment group, they should be well positioned to challenge again in 2024-25 but the nature of this defeat will sting.

This is my concern, we need to keep hold of the players mentioned above, and otherwise we will struggle to get back. We need a forward who can score 20 goals a season and a couple of other players to push for the automatic promotion spots.

Marching On Together.

Leeds United 4 – Norwich City 0 – HT 3-0 – (Agg 4-0)

I. Gruev, (7′)

J. Piroe, (20′)

G. Rutter, (40′)

C. Summerville, (68′)

Assists –

W. Gnonto, (20′)

J. Firpo, (68′)

What a performance!! What a night!! Come on Leeds.

Leeds United will play Southampton or West Bromwich Albion in the Championship play-off final after a thumping win over an outclassed Norwich.

Backed by a vociferous home support, Leeds set about their opponent’s right from the get-go

After a drab stalemate in the first leg on Sunday, the home side, who finished three places and 17 points above the Canaries, took a deserved early lead when Ilia Gruev’s long-range free-kick beat Angus Gunn at his near post.

Joel Piroe made it 2-0 when he headed in Willy Gnonto’s deep cross to the far post, with keeper Gunn caught in no man’s land, to leave the away side with a mountain to climb.

They should have pulled one back immediately but Josh Sargent was thwarted by keeper Illan Meslier one-on-one in what proved to be the only chance of note Norwich had all night.

It was 3-0 before the break when Georginio Rutter crashed a shot in off the underside of the bar after a breakaway attack.

Crysencio Summerville tapped home a fourth for the dominant home side after the interval after Gunn had parried a Gnonto shot out to Junior Firpo, who squared for the Dutchman to roll home.

The Whites will now have nine days to prepare for the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday, 26 May as they look to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

Now we need to take that performance to the final and break our play-off curse.

Marching On Together.