6 hours ago
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Daniel Farke had no need to channel Marcel Bielsa and send any spies to watch Derby train this past week to know that, even with eight changes to his starting XI, his Leeds squad had more than enough Premier League class to overcome mid-table Championship opposition. Goals from the fringe players Wilfried Gnonto, Ao Tanaka and James Justin enabled Leeds to bounce back from their dramatic 4-3 defeat at Newcastle and overturn Ben Brereton Díaz’s first-half goal. Leeds have lost just once in nine games now and, as well as an eight-point buffer from the relegation zone, can now countenance the prospect of an FA Cup run.
With all the history surrounding this midday kick-off, it was a tame opening half-hour before Leeds upped the intensity to earn the chance to go ahead. Even with their much-changed lineup, the running off the ball and incision of passing of the Premier League side suggested an opening goal was incoming. The fact it then went to Derby only accelerated the adrenaline.
Joël Piroe had just shot off the inside of the near post, after Noah Okafor was tackled when breaking in on goal, when Lukas Nmecha ran off the back of Danny Batth and was upended by Jacob Widell Zetterström as the Derby goalkeeper came flying out.
Piroe, who top-scored for Leeds with 19 goals as they won the EFL Championship title last year, knew this was a rare opportunity to shine as he plays second fiddle to Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin this season. But Zetterström dived adroitly to his right to save the spot-kick. “Sweden’s No 1” came the chant from the Derby faithful, whose euphoric celebration of the penalty save transmitted itself to the home team.
Within two minutes and 30 seconds, Derby had made the most of their good fortune. Corey Blackett-Taylor, fed down the inside-left channel by Craig Forsyth, attempted to cut back inside from the side of the penalty area and, when his attempted shot was blocked, the ball rebounded for Brereton Díaz to angle home a drive into the far bottom corner.
Zetterström continued his heroics, saving superbly from another drive by Piroe, who was responding to his penalty miss by taking more responsibility, becoming increasingly influential. The stage appeared set for a resounding second half.
The spice behind this fixture dates back to the 1970s, when the clubs vied at the top of the old First Division and Brian Clough went from building a title-winning side with Derby to lasting only 44 days at Leeds. The rivalry was so intense it spawned the novel The Damned Utd and a film version, which perhaps needed a sequel after the 2019 spying episode.
John Eustace joked in the buildup that he had sent his analysts up to watch Leeds train, as Bielsa had done before the teams’ Championship playoff semi-final in May 2019. Frank Lampard’s celebrations after Derby won that second leg at Elland Road only helped enhance the rivalry.
This game was feisty enough after Derby went ahead, though there was no sign of any modern-day Norman Hunter and Franny Lee exchanging fisticuffs as those legends had when sent off in November 1975.
The voluble Leeds following were chanting: “We’ll spy when we want,” as their side turned the game on its head by the hour mark. First, Gnonto blasted home the equaliser, after Piroe stepped over Jaka Bijol’s pass. Within four minutes, a sweet Leeds move ended with Zetterström being able only to palm aside Piroe’s shot from the edge of the area, and Tanaka turned in the rebound.
Leeds never let slip of their grip on this game for the remaining half-hour, despite Derby huffing and puffing, and in stoppage time, Justin turned home Nmecha’s squared pass as Leeds broke rapidly.
