Category: Leeds United

Leeds United 0 Sheffield Wednesday 0 – HT 0-0

Sheffield Wednesday finally ended their wait for a Championship point on their return to the second-tier, frustrating Yorkshire rivals Leeds in an Elland Road stalemate.

Daniel Farke’s side have not quite hit their straps either so far this season, but had umpteen chances to pick up just a second win against a gutsy Wednesday.

August signing Joel Piroe almost added to his Leeds tally but dragged an effort wide, as Leeds looked to stamp their authority on the game.

Devis Vasquez in the Owls goal made a crucial save from Georginio Rutter, while Crysencio Summerville caused problems with his dynamic running, and Wilfried Gnonto was also denied a penalty.

Leeds were able to give debuts to new signings Djed Spence and Glen Kamara but the same problems remain up top.

Leeds moored in mid-table, while Wednesday are second bottom, kept off only by Middlesbrough’s struggles.

Not the start we wanted to the season, as I said we need to get back up this season, otherwise, no idea when we will.

The problem again, not able to score goals.

League position 15th after 5 games

Leeds United 2             Cardiff City 2 – HT 0-2

Cooper (49)                  Bowler (23)

Summerville (90+5)    Ugbo (39)

Assists

Summerville (49)        Ugbo (23)

Still earlier August and the football season is under way, crazy.

First game back in the championship and under a new manager. Let’s hope we can get straight back up. Come on Leeds. Marching on Together.

Leeds United made a dramatic return to the Championship as new manager Daniel Farke saw Crysencio Summerville’s added-time equaliser cap a fightback from 2-0 down to draw with Cardiff City.

The Bluebirds, also under the guidance of a new boss in Erol Bulut, had to withstand heavy Leeds pressure but clinical counter-attacking goals by debutants Josh Bowler and Ike Ugbo had given the visitors a convincing half-time lead.

A towering header by Leeds captain Liam Cooper early in the second half fuelled a resurgence from the dominant hosts, who missed several chances.

Just as it looked like Cardiff would cling on for a memorable victory, Summerville finished superbly five minutes into time added on to spark jubilant celebrations at Elland Road.

A point was the least Leeds deserved. The statistics told the story of their supremacy: 72% possession, 25 shots to Cardiff’s seven and six on target compared to their opponents’ two.

Farke’s first Leeds line-up featured only three players who began the club’s final Premier League game in May – Cooper, Luke Ayling, and Pascal Struijk – after an off-season which featured more departures than arrivals.

Of the three new faces to come in, only Ethan Ampadu, a £7m acquisition from Chelsea, started this match, though there was a full debut for teenager Archie Gray while Daniel James was back on the left wing having been on loan at Fulham last season.

Well hopefully this new team can get us back in the premiership, otherwise it will be many years before we do.

League position 11th after 1 game

Leeds United have appointed former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke as their manager on a four-year deal.

The 46-year-old German spent four years with the Canaries and twice led them to promotion to the Premier League.

Farke spent last season with Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach but was sacked after they finished 10th.

Well I hope he can lead us straight back, as we should be in the premiership.

Another player of the great Don Revie 1970 team, Gordon McQueen passed away today.

He was a tough centre back and had a great partnership with Norman Hunter.

What we could have done with a pair like them this season, no way would we have conceded over 70 goals.

Talking of 70, he was only 70 himself, far too young to pass away. RIP.

Another unfortunate record for Leeds, as Sam Allardyce as left the club and takes the record for the shortest manager rein in the premiership.

We actually now have 1^st and 3^rd place for shortest premiership manager reins, which is pretty poor, considering the few seasons we have been in the premiership.

This in a season of record number of managers in the premiership.

Leeds United 1  Tottenham Hotspur 4  HT 0-1

Harrison (67)      Kane (2, 69), Porro (47), Lucas Moura (90’+5)

Assists –

Rutter (67)          Son Heung-min (2), Porro (69), Sarr (90’+5)

Well the so called magic of Big Sam couldn’t save us from relegation. 

Leeds United were relegated from the Premier League as they lost their final game of the season to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Whites’ fans turned on both their team and the club’s owners as the West Yorkshire side’s three-year top-flight stay came to a meek and pitiful end at Elland Road.

Needing to win to stand any chance of preserving their Premier League status, Leeds trailed inside the opening two minutes through Harry Kane’s excellent finish.

Pedro Porro then doubled Tottenham’s lead when he fired in from a tight angle early in the second half.

Jack Harrison made it 2-1 to give Leeds brief hope of pulling off an unlikely escape, but Kane’s 30th league goal of the season restored Spurs’ two-goal advantage.

Lucas Moura marked his farewell appearance by scoring a fine solo goal in injury time, although Tottenham’s first top-flight win outside London since October was not enough to prevent them missing out on European qualification for the first time since they finished eighth in 2008-09.

For Leeds, however, the damage is far worse. I couldn’t agree more.

Overall I think we deserved to go down, we just couldn’t score and the form in April, we just leaked goal after goal and became the 1^st team in premiership history to concede over 70 goals in consecutive seasons.

I just hope it doesn’t take several seasons to get promoted after last time we were relegated from the premiership.

League position 19th after 38 games – After 38 games last season, Leeds were 17th.

Manchester City 2     Leeds United 1 – HT 2-0

Gündogan (19′, 27′)  Rodrigo (85′)

Assists –

Mahrez (19′, 27′)

Not the team you want to face for your 1^st game in charged and trying to avoid relegation.

Manchester City moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League by surviving a late scare to beat a Leeds side playing under new manager Sam Allardyce for the first time.

Two fine first-half goals by Ilkay Gundogan had done the damage for City, who appeared utterly dominant as they headed towards their 10th straight league win.

Gundogan’s first neat finish, which came after Riyad Mahrez found him in space on the edge of the area, was into the bottom left-hand corner of Joel Robles’ goal.

His second, again with Mahrez the provider, was identical apart from that he found the opposite corner of the net.

City were in full control but could not find a third goal to finish Leeds off after the break. Even Erling Haaland, for once, failed to score – his best effort came back off the post.

Their best chance to wrap the game up came with six minutes to go, when Pascal Struijk fouled Phil Foden inside the area and referee Andrew Madley pointed to the spot.

Regular penalty-taker Haaland passed up the chance to take it and add to his 51-goal tally for the season, but saw Gundogan miss out on a hat-trick when he sent his effort against the post.

That gave Leeds hope and, only 58 seconds later, they were somehow back in the game. Manuel Akanji failed to deal with a long ball and substitute Rodrigo beat Ederson with a low finish.

Their noisy supporters roared them forward in search of an unlikely equaliser but City were not in the mood to let the three points slip.

Considering who we were playing, to only lose 2-1, was a result, but at the end of the day, still no points and a goal on to the goal difference.

I can’t see anything other than relegation now, I don’t see Sam producing a miracle.

League position 17th after 35 games – After 35 games last season, Leeds were 16th.

What is going on at Leeds United, how can Sam Allardyce do anything with four games left in the season?

He’s replaced Javi Gracia after just 10 weeks in charge, the second shortest manager rein in the premiership history.

I can’t see us staying up now, especially with the goal difference and struggling to score.

I hope I’m proved wrong.

Leeds United 1 Crystal Palace 5 HT 1-1

Bamford (21)   Guéhi (45+1), J Ayew (53, 77), Eze (55), Édouard (69)

Assists –

Aaronson (21) Schlupp (45+1), Olise (53, 55, 69), Hughes (77)

This was a dreadful performance, god knows what happened in the second half. We just can’t stop leaking goals and with it being so tight at the bottom, I can see goal difference being very important.

This is not looking good, especially with the fixtures in May that we have.

Crystal Palace staged a remarkable second-half turnaround to give a significant boost to their Premier League survival hopes and leave stunned Leeds with plenty of work to do in their own bid to avoid relegation.

The Eagles scored four goals after the break with Jordan Ayew – in for the injured Wilfried Zaha – scoring two in an incredible demolition of the home side.

Such a victory looked hugely unlikely after Patrick Bamford’s 50th goal for the club gave Leeds the reward their early dominance deserved.

But from then on it all went downhill as Marc Guehi flicked in an equaliser on the stroke of half-time before Palace scored two goals in two minutes soon after the break.

First, Ayew made it 2-1 with an excellent header before Eberechi Eze added a quick third, poking in from Michael Olise’s pass.

Odsonne Edouard drove a fourth into the bottom corner following a quick counter – with the excellent Olise providing the assist again – and Ayew completed the rout late on when he lifted a shot over Illan Meslier, prompting many Leeds fans to leave.

The stunning win moves Crystal Palace up to 12th in the Premier League, six points clear of the relegation zone, while Leeds are 16th, just two points above the drop.

I really do fear for us with just 8 games to go, where in the same position as last season, but this season we are leaking goals and not scoring, which we weren’t last season.

League position 16th after 30 games – After 30 games last season, Leeds were 16th.

Chelsea 1 – Leeds United 0 – HT 0-0

Fofana (53)

Assists:-

Chilwell (53)

Now playing under a new manager and after a good cup result, hoping for the double over Chelsea this season, we failed to score again.

Welsey Fofana scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea as the Blues beat Leeds to ease the pressure on manager Graham Potter.

After a run of just two wins in their past 15 games, there was a sense that three points were a must for Potter, despite insisting he retained the support of the club’s owners before the game.

The Blues made a blistering start and could have been 3-0 up inside 30 minutes.

Kai Havertz was one-on-one with Leeds keeper Illan Meslier, while Joao Felix smashed a shot from distance against the crossbar before Ben Chilwell prodded wide from an excellent position.

After that there was a growing sense of deja vu around Stamford Bridge as Chelsea faded while Leeds grew into the game, with Jack Harrison sending a free-kick over the bar before the break.

But Fofana ended Chelsea’s run of 396 minutes without a goal when he rose to head home from a corner early in the second half.

Leeds upped the pressure in the closing stages as the hosts dropped deep to try and hold on for a precious win, making for a nervous finale to the game for the home fans, but they held on to secure their second win this year.

Chelsea remain 10th despite the win while Leeds are 17th and one point above the relegation zone.

So what looked a promising season, after we beat Chelsea earlier in the new season, we have been on a slide down the league, mainly because we can’t score.

As mentioned in the previous Leeds post, why did we not bring in a forward or two?

Only 13 matches left to stay up, but the bottom half of the table is so tight, 6 points separating the bottom 9 clubs.

Good luck to the new manager Javi Gracia, he is going to need it.

League position 17th after 25 games – After 25 games last season, Leeds were 15th.