Perhaps it only took Leeds United 37 years to master the play-offs. The oldest curse in the Football League’s end-of-season exercise in delight and dejection may only have another 10 days left to run. Leeds, beaten in the second tier’s inaugural final in 1987, invariably unsuccessful in such knockout ties ever since, will be marching on together down Wembley Way after a display of blistering brilliance.
Their promotion specialist of a manager, Daniel Farke, subjected his former club Norwich to a harrowing night as Leeds transformed their form and the mood. They lost their way and their automatic play-off place in the last six weeks of the season. And then, suddenly, came a display to support the theory they had it in them to be the best side in the Championship this season. They outwitted Norwich even before they outsprinted and outran them. Opposing fans are fond of chanting that Leeds are falling apart: Elland Road reverberated to it, the Leeds supporters launching into a mocking chorus as Norwich collapsed and capitulated, three goals down by half-time, perhaps fortunate to only lose by four.
Raucous and rousing, Elland Road was rocking, almost 40,000 white scarves swirling in the Yorkshire night. After the drabness of the first-leg stalemate at Carrow Road came an evening infused with energy and electricity. Leeds played like men possessed, Norwich like a group trapped in the eye of a storm. It felt all the stranger that Leeds had lost their last two home matches. There was no danger of a hat-trick. Instead, the treble may belong to Farke, on course to take a team into the Premier League for the third time in his last three seasons at this level. The first two were with Norwich; now the German ended their chances of a top-flight return.
And this was a victory that was testament to the Farke rebuild after relegation and to a tactical tweak after the first leg at Carrow Road. The goals came from the faces of the new Leeds, each charged with repairing the damage done last season. They had two from summer signings, men brought in amid an exodus. Ilia Gruev arrived as midfielders Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson and Marc Roca departed while Joel Piroe joined to replace Rodrigo in attack. They had two goals from beneficiaries of the drop in division.
Forward Georginio Rutter formed part of the problem in the Premier League spending spree, purchased for £35m in a punt on potential, granted a lone league start then when a rookie was not what they required. But the Frenchman is an Elland Road favourite now, his name echoing around the ground. Crysencio Summerville has been arguably the Championship’s player of the season, a talent who has looked simply too good for the level. Norwich had few ways of halting the wunderkind winger.
And Farke was richly rewarded for an attacking reboot, with Piroe recalled as the full-back Sam Byram dropped out. His front four felt unstoppable. The breakthrough nevertheless came from a midfielder, in a piece of quick thinking. There were echoes of Bernardo Silva’s goal against Real Madrid when Gruev shaped to cross from a free kick, but instead whipped in a low shot from 30 yards, catching Angus Gunn out at his near post. It was an audacious way for the Bulgarian to open his Leeds account.
It was a traumatic evening for Gunn. Son of a Norwich goalkeeping great, he was at fault for two goals, horribly so for the first. Gunn made subsequent saves from Wilfried Gnonto, Piroe and Summerville, but by then Norwich were beaten and bedraggled.
Meanwhile, Leeds had different types of irregular scorers. Gruev only had one goal to his name in his senior career. Piroe and Rutter were supposed to be the specialists but the Dutchman only had two goals in his previous 16 games, Rutter none in his last 14. Yet when Gnonto’s cross curled away from Gunn, leaving the goalkeeper in no-man’s land, Piroe’s header was assured. When Piroe broke clear and Shane Duffy inadvertently poked the ball into Rutter’s path, his finish was pure, crashing a shot in off the underside of the bar. Summerville completed the scoring, dispatching a shot from Junior Firpo’s cutback.
Leeds had a sole reprieve of note, a couple of minutes after Piroe’s goal when Josh Sargent escaped from Ethan Ampadu and tried to chip him, but Illan Meslier made a brilliant save. With it, Norwich’s chances surely disappeared. They won’t be facing Ipswich in the Premier League next season or getting their fourth promotion in nine seasons.
David Wagner’s team may have overachieved this season but that is for a wider reflection, unlikely to soothe them amid the pain of play-off heartbreak. Leeds have become accustomed to it, with defeats to Charlton, Watford, Doncaster, Millwall and Derby. Now they have a game against Southampton or West Bromwich Albion, an opportunity to finally experience what it is like to win the play-offs.
