Only One United

A new millennium, a new manager, a new set of young players hoping to emulate the glory days. Champions League success coupled with ambition created a new problem facing the stronghold of Yorkshire football. These financial issues led to regulation, down the slippery slope of the English leagues they fell, yet with the decade coming to a close, the spiral became a trough. Now with a new born and bred manager, a financially aware owner and some fresh talent, Leeds United are starting to get to grips with the possibility of promotion that will take them one step closer to being back where they were in the year 2000, the Premiership.

The League One outfit are well below the level of football the city expects of them, yet not many other football fans will feel sorry for what appears to be one of the most unlikeable clubs in England. Leeds however, are sitting pretty at the top of the League, and promotion seems a certainty, provided the players which have been excelling under Simon Grayson, remain to be present come February, after January’s bring and buy market ends.

Jermaine Beckford, Robert Snodgrass and Bradley Johnson, are just a few of the players who could be seen as potential prospects for a higher placed club. Beckford has knocked up 20 goals this season already, and Snodgrass has recently been called up for the Scotland squad. Yet, what better way to prove your worth than with a glamour tie against the English League Champions, Runners-up in Europe and champions of the world, Manchester United at the theatre of dreams, Old Trafford?

Having narrowly lost to Liverpool in the Carling Cup earlier this season, Leeds were well aware of the task ahead. Yet today, on the clubs biggest day of the season, one of the most unlikeable teams in the country, found themselves with the support of every football fan outside of Manchester, and maybe even a few within it. The old rivalry between the clubs still remained even as Leeds went into the darkness, whilst across the Pennies the Red Devils went from strength to strength, dominating English football. Yet, despite the clear different paths they have recently being travelling, both teams took to the pitch, to face each other in the first game of their new decade.

The intensity was there, the passion was shown, the desire was evident for all to see. In a 3rd round which had thrown up no real upsets, Man U were fully expected to win, to dominate, to quash any potential threat the away side could conjure up and yet this was not to be. Leeds came out of the blocks fighting, with their high maintenance pressing game paying dividends. Captain Taylor hassled, Jonny Howson picked up the pieces, the Leeds boy looked up, a clear game plan already in mind, fired a long ball forward to leave Beckford sprinting away from Brown. Despite a poor first touch taking him away from goal, the inform striker calmly placed the ball back across the goal past the onrushing Kuszczak, and slowly it rolled over the line sending the away fans into delirium.

The goal had come only 19 minutes in, plenty of time for the Premiership side to get themselves back into the match, back into the FA Cup, yet that resurgence never arrived. Casper Ankergren kept any potential threat at bay. In fact it was the visitors who came closest to scoring again, with Beckford firing inches wide and Snodgrass hitting the woodwork from a free-kick. However, it must be said that Wayne Rooney did not deserve to be on the losing side, the only real player from Man U to show his quality for the entire match.

Yet, even Rooney couldn’t muster up a goal, leaving Man U to ponder over their first exit in round 3 of the FA Cup for 26 years. Alex Ferguson was clearly not happy with his players, taking an age to “talk” to his players before facing the ITV postmatch cameras. “Well I didn’t expect that” his first comment, yet his tone was not one of surprise at Leeds winning, more anger at how bad his team had performed. Ferguson did admit that Leeds deserved to win, which they probably did, however he, like everyone else in football, will feel they should be in the 4th round draw.

So where did it all go wrong? Fans will probably say that Man U didn’t field their strongest side, yet, realistically it was almost as strong as it could have been. The back four of Evans, Brown, Neville and Fabio Da Silva may not have been first choice at the start of the season, yet with injuries to Ferdinand, Evra and Vidic, who else was there to play? Admittedly, Giggs and Valencia only came on in the last 30minutes, both provided stability and quality, replacing the woeful Obertan and Welbeck, but Anderson and Gibson have both started for Man U in the centre. As for Rooney and Berbatov, that is a front pair that many sides would sell their entire squad for.

However, Leeds came out on top, Man U can now concentrate of regaining the league for a 4th consecutive time, a feat which I am sure they will achieve. Yet, could the new decade see a resurgence of a once formidable Leeds United side? Well, either way, there is now only one true United in the FA Cup.