Champion League
7 best opening-day games of the last 20 years
Leeds United kick off their 2023/24 Championship marketing campaign this weekend. It is a large one, naturally, as they search for a right away return to the Premier League.
Getting off to a very good begin can be paramount, then, and loads of eyes can be on the Whites as they face off in opposition to Cardiff Metropolis at Elland Highway on Sunday sixth August.
The fixture marks their first within the Championship because the summer season of 2020, when the pandemic-delayed marketing campaign got here to a detailed with Leeds crowning their achievement of promotion with a dominant 4-0 thrashing of Charlton Athletic.
Rather a lot has modified since then, not least this summer season alone, with an exodus taking place at Elland Highway seeing the likes of Rodrigo, Weston McKennie and Tyler Roberts depart.
In the meantime, others equivalent to Robin Koch, Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen are amongst these to depart on mortgage.
Additionally it is a primary aggressive match for brand spanking new supervisor Daniel Farke, who replaces Sam Allardyce within the Leeds dugout after he didn’t rescue the West Yorkshire outfit from the drop, with Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia victims of the chop.
It has been all-change behind the scenes, with new homeowners on board following Victor Orta’s exit and 49ers Enterprises formally taking up from Andrea Radrizzani.
They’ve additionally welcomed Ethan Ampadu and Karl Darlow to the facet with their first dips into the switch market.
Farke can be aiming to emulate the likes of Marcelo Bielsa and Howard Wilkinson by escaping the second tier – and he might look to a few of Leeds’ earlier opening-match exploits for inspiration forward of kick-off in opposition to the Bluebirds.
With that in thoughts, Soccer FanCast has taken a glance again on the final 20 years to pick one of the best of Leeds’ opening-day video games.
7 Leeds 1-0 Derby – 2004/05
Leeds began life outdoors of the Premier League in 2004 in optimistic trend, with their Championship curtain-raiser offering a slender victory over then-promotion rivals Derby County.
Sadly for Kevin Blackwell’s Whites, it was a disappointing marketing campaign that noticed them end mid-table, as a new-look staff – seven gamers made their debuts – got here to phrases with enjoying the second tier.
Neil Sullivan, Michael Duberry and Lucas Radebe had been a few of the few first-team survivors to participate that day, as Leeds entered a marketing campaign outdoors of the highest flight for the primary time since profitable the Second Division in 1990 beneath Wilkinson.
Whereas Derby would go on to make the play-offs, Frazer Richardson’s curling winner gave what turned out to be false hope to the Elland Highway trustworthy, with the Whites’ 14th-place end their lowest since ending in the identical place of the Soccer League pyramid in 1986.
6 Leeds 3-1 Stoke – 2018/19
The West Yorkshire membership entered a brand new period in August 2018 as Marcelo Bielsa began his reign at Elland Road.
A shock alternative for Paul Heckingbottom, the Argentinian’s debut noticed Leeds – out of the Premier League for 14 years on the time – kickstart their newest efforts to flee the Championship with an enormous three factors.
Stoke had been relegated from the Premier League the earlier yr and subsequently entered the next marketing campaign as one of many favourites to go up.
Nevertheless, Gary Rowett’s facet turned the primary victims of Bielsaball as targets from Mateusz Klich, Pablo Hernandez and Liam Cooper sealed an ideal begin for the brand new boss.
Benik Afobe’s penalty threatened a comeback from the Potters which by no means materialised, as each side went on to have differing seasons.
Leeds might have suffered extra play-off heartbreak on the finish of this one, however this was actually an indication of what was to come back beneath Bielsa.
5 Leeds 2-1 Brighton – 2013/14
The opening day brings pleasure and intrigue anyway – however particularly whenever you’ve bought debutants within the facet. Luke Murphy, a £1m signing from Crewe Alexandra, bought the nod from the beginning right here and he actually made probably the most of it against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Seagulls took the lead as Leandro Ulloa struck on 13 minutes. Leeds responded completely, although, and had been stage inside 5 minutes as Ross McCormack discovered a leveller.
That set the stage for a dramatic finale as Murphy launched himself to the Leeds trustworthy with a 94th-minute winner. The midfielder broke by means of on aim and confirmed unbelievable composure to ship the followers into raptures.
The victory would show to be one other false daybreak for Leeds as Brian McDermott didn’t grow to be the person to take the Whites up, simply a few seasons after managing to take action with former membership Studying.
4 Leeds 2-2 Newcastle – 2003/04
Leeds had been surrounded by doubt to kick off the 2003/04 marketing campaign and few knew what the longer term held. Monetary issues had been rife on the membership, with a few of their finest gamers departing for funds.
A type of was Lee Bowyer, who after leaving the membership some six months prior, really made his Newcastle United debut on this sport at Elland Highway – to a refrain of boos, in fact.
The likes of Harry Kewell and Olivier Dacourt had additionally left since, with there being loads of modifications to the Leeds lineup forward of what can be their final Premier League marketing campaign for 16 years.
Peter Reid’s facet got here into this one after dramatically hauling themselves to security within the earlier marketing campaign as their monetary troubles began to take maintain.
However no matter that, it was a fantastic game. Alan Shearer put the Magpies in entrance from the penalty spot, just for Mark Viduka and Alan Smith to have Leeds in entrance by the hour mark.
Sadly, the Premier League’s all-time file goalscorer grabbed a second on 88 minutes to separate the factors.
The chaotic nature of this one was arguably a warning signal of issues to come back, as Leeds followers will know all too properly.
3 Bolton 2-3 Leeds – 2017/18
Can you actually ask for greater than a five-goal thriller that sees you kick off the season with an away win? Nicely, how about if it additionally features a native teen scoring twice from midfield?
21-year-old Kalvin Phillips announced himself here, scoring simply his third league aim after seven minutes. Bolton Wanderers discovered an equaliser on 39 however Phillips struck once more earlier than the break – doubling his senior aim tally in a single sport.
Chris Wooden had Leeds 3-1 up on half-time, as a second-half Adam Le Fondre penalty wasn’t sufficient to cease the factors going again to Elland Highway. Phillips, although, was the true story right here – an indication of what was to come back from him.
The identical cannot be mentioned for Thomas Christiansen’s Leeds, who pale away after a promising begin to the league season. The Whites went unbeaten in their first seven following the dramatic win at Bolton, earlier than continuing to lose eight of their subsequent 11 clashes.
Amid the failures of Christiansen – after which Paul Heckingbottom to regular the ship – they may maybe be seen as a blessing provided that they led to persuading Bielsa to lastly take the West Yorkshiremen ahead.
2 Liverpool 4-3 Leeds – 2020/21
It does really feel a bit unusual to incorporate a defeat on an inventory of Leeds’ ‘finest’ opening day video games, however context is necessary right here. Marcelo Bielsa had led Leeds to promotion in fashion the earlier season, enjoying a high-risk, thrilling model of soccer.
And no facet was higher positioned to use their doubtlessly cavalier strategy that labored so properly within the decrease division than Liverpool. They’d completely dominated the Premier League the season prior, basically eliminating any title race by January. Leeds, certainly, would want to alter.
Bielsa noticed issues in a different way and despatched his Leeds facet out to take the game to Liverpool. Mohamed Salah put the Reds in entrance, however Leeds discovered an equaliser by means of Jack Harrison.
Virgil van Dijk made it 2-1, however once more, Leeds equalised as Patrick Bamford discovered the web. Salah grabbed one other earlier than Leeds hit again as soon as extra on 66 minutes by means of Mateusz Klich.
A Salah penalty – sealing his hat-trick – finally secured a win for Liverpool, however Leeds despatched an actual message with this one. Even the champions would wrestle to include them – as many different sides did because the Whites completed ninth – and so they had been completely not excited about altering their methods.
1 Bristol Metropolis 1-3 Leeds – 2019/20
No, this sport wasn’t as dramatic because the Anfield conflict, but it surely got here in the beginning of a historic season. Leeds went to Bristol City with promotion aspirations, having fallen within the Championship play-offs the earlier yr.
The Robins had been no pushovers, both, having clinched eighth that season and harboured play-off ambitions of their very own. What adopted, then, was a show that firmly positioned Leeds because the staff to beat in 2019/20.
Pablo Hernandez was at firmly the center of issues, scoring earlier than establishing Patrick Bamford as Leeds appeared dominant. Jack Harrison sealed the factors earlier than Andreas Weimann’s comfort, because the Whites lastly began a profitable Championship title tilt.
It was the start of a sensational marketing campaign that noticed them return to the Premier League after 16 years. 5 wins from their first seven set them on their technique to the promised land of the highest flight – a begin good as that this time round will hopefully have the same outcome for Daniel Farke and co.
