Leeds United 2018/19 Season Review: What a ride it was

By Jonny Chick

It’s been over a month since the devastating play-off defeat to Derby County, and the pain and heartache still hasn’t fully disappeared. Derby went onto face Aston Villa at Wembley, with Dean Smith’s side coming out on top to win the richest game in football.

But even though the season had a bitter and sour ending, it was a year of vast improvement and development of the team, the ownership and the club.

Marcelo Bielsa was evidently integral to the team’s advancement. The reputation and stature that he brought to the club raised Leeds’ profile. With a few additions, he transformed a side that finished 13th in the Championship last season under two different managers.

The notable players who have undergone a vast transformation in the last season are Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper.

Phillips has been instrumental to Leeds’ success. He has adapted to a new role playing just in front of the back four and has often been called upon to fill in at centre half.

Either way he has been a standout performer and a revelation under Bielsa.

The skipper Cooper was alongside Phillips in the Championship Team of the Season and deserved his place aswell. His reading of the game and physicality are some of the many traits that had turned him into a top tier Championship defender.

The 2018/19 season brought some memorable performances for Leeds United fans, both at Elland Road and away from home.

The first two games of the season were certainly spectacles as Leeds beat newly relegated Stoke City 3-1 at Elland Road and turned over Frank Lampard’s Derby County 4-1 at Pride Park.

Injuries disrupted next few months with Kemar Roofe, Pablo Hernandez and Luke Ayling the notable omissions.

Tyler Roberts filled Roofe’s boots with ease as he struck twice in the 3-0 win over Preston in September and scored the winning goal away at Hull to earn Leeds three points.

December produced two fascinating adverts for Championship football. Both were five goal thrillers, and both saw injury time winners.

The final game before Christmas Day saw Leeds travel to Villa Park. Aston Villa took a 2-0 advantage going into half time, but Jack Clarke and Pontus Jansson levelled the score after the restart. If the game couldn’t get any more dramatic, Kemar Roofe volleyed home a 95th minute winner to send the Leeds end into uproar.

Roofe made the headlines just five days later on boxing day where Leeds welcomed the visit of Blackburn Rovers. Going into additional time, the Whites found themselves 2-1 down, however up stepped Roofe again to score twice in added time to fire Leeds into dreamland once again.

After the turn of the New Year, there were a few more fascinating encounters. The Whites brushed aside West Brom 4-0 under the lights at Elland Road to hail revenge on the Baggies; who inflicted Leeds’ biggest defeat of the season back in November.

Of course, even though there was disappointment in the second leg, the first leg of the play-off semi final at Pride Park was a resolute but convincing performance from Leeds and has to go down as one of the performances of the season.

The key thing for Leeds fans was that Bielsa would stay for another season; some saying keeping him would be bigger than gaining promotion.

With the Argentine going again at Elland Road, who knows what more magical moments are in store for Leeds fans and hopefully, in the centenary season, this is the time where Leeds get back to where they belong.