The games between Leeds United and Wolves during the 2021/22 season were both packed with drama so it is very fitting that Bruno Lage’s side are the opening-day visitors to Elland Road. The late chaos from those two matches will take some beating on August 6 but it would be typical of the Whites to begin the new campaign in the same way they finished the last.
Leeds ultimately took four points from Wolves in those games but had the final whistle been blown at exactly 90 minutes, they would have had just one. That was the story of much of the season for Marcelo Bielsa and then Jesse Marsch who both watched their side rescue late points on several occasions.
When Wolves visited Elland Road in October, it looked as though Hwang Hee-chan’s early opener would be enough to secure all three points. Cue the introduction of Joe Gelhardt.
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Making just his second Premier League appearance, the young forward changed the game as he was brought down in the box after his jinking run took him past three Wolves players. Rodrigo stepped up and sent Jose Sa the wrong way with almost the very last kick of the game.
When Leeds travelled to Molineux in mid-March, they once again looked dead and buried, this time at half-time. Marsch’s side were 2-0 down and three men down after Patrick Bamford, Diego Llorente and Mateusz Klich were withdrawn injured in the first half.
Although, when Raul Jimenez went crashing into Illan Meslier having already been booked, he offered the Whites a lifeline after being dismissed by referee Kevin Friend. Leeds didn’t need a second invitation and two goals in three second-half minutes brought parity.
Despite looking as though they would hold on for a point, Wolves snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as Luke Ayling smashed in from close range to snatch a monumental win. Looking back at the end of the season, the impact and momentum built from that 3-2 win were vital in keeping Leeds in the Premier League.
While the home supporters at Elland Road will hope for a more relaxed, routine win on the opening day, it would be terribly apt for Marsch to begin his first full season with yet another chaotic encounter against Wolves.
