Marcelo Bielsa and his men will be immortalised as the group that finally took the Whites back to the Premier League after West Brom’s loss to Huddersfield confirmed their top-flight status, but in true Leeds United fashion, they didn’t do it the easy way.
After years of jeers about ‘falling apart again’, it’s finally over, Leeds have crossed the finish line that has been in sight so many times before, and it took a mighty effort from everyone involved at the club to make this dream a reality.
Whether it’s Victor Orta making Dragon’s Den style presentations, Marcelo Bielsa creating eight-page dossier’s on opposition’s third-choice goalkeeper or players enduring the Argentine’s famed ‘murderball’ sessions, everyone has put so much in to get to this point.
2019/20 will be remembered as a rollercoaster campaign for the Whites that ended in the best way possible, and here are 15 moments that defined United’s promotion campaign…
White in Jansson out
Summer transfer windows always have a huge say on how a team is going to get on throughout the season, and it’s fair to say that July 1st was one of the most important days of United’s promotion campaign as a little-known centre-back named Ben White also came in on loan.
White is now reportedly valued by his parent club at £40m, despite never playing above League One level before joining Leeds.
With White joining, there was one less spot in the defence, and this meant the end of Pontus Jansson’s time at Elland Road.
This was truly a sign of Marcelo Bielsa stamping his authority after reportedly falling out with the fan favourite, and in the end, it could be argued that this move worked out for both parties.
Opening day domination
Leeds were handed a tough opening day clash away at Bristol City.
There were certainly a few questions to be answered ahead of the game after United’s playoff capitulation last term, but they made sure to answer them very quickly, playing Bristol off the park, going 3-0 up in 72 minutes, before the Robins added a consolation.
Nketiah’s late heroics
Unfortunately, Leeds’ brilliant performances wouldn’t last long, and United would need bailing out a few times in the following weeks.
Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah made something of a name for himself by scoring key goals late in games, saving United’s skin against Brentford, Barnsley and Preston.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for Nketiah in Yorkshire, but the points he won for Leeds certainly helped them on their way to the Premier League.
West Brom beaten
In 2018/19 Leeds came so close to getting promoted, but in the end, results at home against their rivals cost them as they succumbed to both Norwich and Sheffield United at Elland Road.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen this time as United made a statement of intent by beating the Baggies 1-0 at home.
Centenary celebrations
2019 marked 100 years since the formation of the club, and against Birmingham City, the Whites celebrated this landmark.
Wearing a specially designed changed strip to mark the occasion, Leeds prevailed, beating the Blues 1-0 with a goal from local-lad and lifelong fan Kalvin Phillips sealing the three points.
Seven in a row
United really made a spot in the top two their own throughout the back end of 2019, winning seven games in a row from November 2nd to December 10th, in a run that really defined the Whites’ success throughout this campaign.
The highlight of this run was undoubtedly a 4-0 demolition job against Middlesbrough as former man Jonathan Woodgate had a torrid return to Elland Road.
Cardiff jitters
All good things have to come to an end, and United’s winning run ended in the worst possible fashion.
Leeds raced into a 3-0 lead against Cardiff back in December, but a second-half resurgence saw the Bluebirds level the game late on, causing Leeds to drop points for the first time in over a month.
United could so easily have capitulated after such a result, but they managed to recover just a couple of weeks later.
Game of the season
After the Cardiff game, Leeds would fail to win their next two against Fulham and Preston, and all of a sudden their clash with Birmingham City looked like a must-win.
Fortunately, they managed to overcome Pep Clotet’s side, beating them 5-4 courtesy of a last-minute Wes Harding own goal.
It took a lot of bottle for Leeds to come away with a win here, and that sort of drive was so key to their promotion push.
Premier League audition
Although Leeds’ game against Arsenal in the FA Cup didn’t actually contribute to their promotion, it was a key match in showing that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were ready for the Premier League.
The Whites lost 1-0 to the Gunners, but they put on an impressive display, creating a multitude of chances, earning plaudits from pundits across the land.
Casilla’s mistakes
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Leeds season if they didn’t threaten to monumentally mess it up, and a run of costly errors from Kiko Casilla in February threatened to derail their season.
The Spaniard conceded directly from a corner against Wigan in United’s 1-0 loss at Elland Road, before being beaten far too easily at his near post in a loss to Nottingham Forest and basically assisting Brentford’s only goal in a draw at Griffin Park.
Casilla was to blame for United’s playoff loss last term, and it seemed as though he could cost them again, but luckily his errors wouldn’t prove all that costly.
Five clean sheets in a row
Good defence defined United’s season more than anything, keeping the best defensive record in the division, and after Casilla stopped with the howlers, he kept three clean sheets in a row.
Unfortunately, the Spaniard was then banned for an incident that occurred against Charlton earlier in the season, but he wasn’t missed too much as Illan Meslier came in and continued the Whites’ run of shutouts.
Wake up call
United’s good form was put on hold due to the suspension of football for three months, and upon their return they didn’t hit the ground running.
Leeds lost 2-0 in their first game back against Cardiff, but rather than letting their heads drop, this acted as a wake-up call.
Fulham brushed aside
United’s next game was a key clash against Fulham, and to call it a must-win would have been an understatement.
If Leeds would have lost, the London club would have been just four points adrift with all the momentum in the world, but a comfortable 3-0 win saw Bielsa’s side move 10 points clear of Fulham, putting them firmly in the driving seat to go on and get promoted.
Biggest win of the season
The final few weeks of the season are usually the prime time for Leeds to self-destruct, but this time United did the exact opposite and put on arguably their best showing of the campaign to settle everyone’s nerves.
Leeds beat Stoke 5-0, and with four games to go that performance showed that any team that fancied gatecrashing the Whites’ party would have to be at their very best to do it.
Hernandez’s magic
Things were still a bit nervy heading into the final few weeks, Brentford’s incredible run meant Leeds weren’t home and dry yet, and nerves were high heading into the final minutes against Swansea with the deadlock yet to be broken.
As he has done time and time again, Pablo Hernandez saved Leeds’ skin with an 89th-minute winner, a goal that put Leeds within touching distance of a spot in the Premier League.
