Leeds United haven’t crushed Arsenal for over 20 years, a depressing run that makes it straightforward to overlook how aggressive this fixture as soon as was.
These are two of English soccer’s grand previous golf equipment, with a shared historical past that features some unforgettable clashes and a good deal of unhealthy blood.
Ask supporters of a sure classic they usually’ll inform you all about Don Revie’s Leeds, Bertie Mee’s Arsenal and the battles between two of the nation’s nice sides. The rivalry was particularly fierce across the flip of the Nineteen Seventies, when each had been competing for the most important honours.
Leeds’ best moments in opposition to Arsenal got here at Wembley. Terry Cooper scored the winner within the 1968 League Cup closing, earlier than Allan Clarke’s iconic diving header settled the 1972 FA Cup closing. Remarkably, these stay Leeds’ solely triumphs within the two main home cups.
The golf equipment’ fortunes fluctuated within the years that adopted, however they turned carefully related once more within the Nineties. George Graham, a two-time league champion with Arsenal, took over at Leeds and set about making them stable, organised and totally boring. It proved an essential first step in direction of their late-Nineties resurgence.
Arsene Wenger was doing one thing extra spectacular at Highbury, in fact. However for all Frenchman’s success, there was one opponent that appeared to trigger him a disproportionate quantity of grief – Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s title-wrecking winner at Elland Street in Could 1999 one such instance that also stings.
Leeds’ knack for rattling Arsenal peaked in Could 2003. Harry Kewell scored one of many best targets Highbury ever witnessed, Mark Viduka struck a late winner and the guests claimed a well-known 3-2 victory. Leeds stayed up, Arsenal surrendered the title to Manchester United.
That was Leeds’ seventh victory over Arsenal within the Premier League period. They’d additionally knocked them out of the FA Cup at Highbury in 1997. Arsenal invariably completed above Leeds within the desk, however they might by no means fairly work out easy methods to cease them taking factors.
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“At the moment, Peter [Reid] was nice with the boys. He acquired the spirit collectively,” former Leeds midfielder Eirik Bakke informed us again in 2021.
“I feel that’s why we beat Arsenal.
“Away in opposition to Arsenal, we all the time did properly. We had received there earlier than. We all the time had a giant rivalry between ourselves and them.
“After they had been dropping, they had been so boastful. Unhealthy losers. To beat them just a few instances was one in every of my highlights.”
Issues have modified a bit for the reason that flip of the century when Leeds had been perennially a thorn within the facet of Wenger’s Gunners.
Twenty-three years on, that victory at Highbury stays Leeds’ final in opposition to Arsenal. Their document since makes for grim studying.
Sixteen conferences. Fourteen Arsenal wins. Two attracts, one in every of which got here in an FA Cup tie that Arsenal comfortably received within the replay. You’ll battle to seek out one other fixture fairly so one-sided anyplace in English soccer this century.
Arsenal acquired their revenge for Leeds’ notorious title-wrecking win in probably the most brutally emphatic vogue. The next season, Wenger’s facet went Invincible whereas Leeds had been relegated, and the Gunners inflicted some critical punishment alongside the best way.
Three conferences, an mixture rating of 13-2, and Thierry Henry unforgettably scoring 4 in a 5-0 demolition at Highbury.
That season – a excessive and low level for the 2 golf equipment – set the tone for the form of the fixture within the twenty first century.
Leeds couldn’t escape Arsenal even after dropping out of the Premier League. They had been paired collectively 4 instances within the FA Cup throughout their 16-year absence, and the acquainted sample continued.
They produced some spirited performances, together with a very spectacular exhibiting beneath Marcelo Bielsa in January 2020, in opposition to an Arsenal facet with Mikel Arteta newly put in as supervisor, however by no means fairly sufficient to drag off an upset.
Bielsa’s Leeds gave Arsenal a correct recreation of their first season again up, hitting the woodwork thrice in a goalless draw at Elland Street. They went unbeaten at dwelling in opposition to the ‘massive six’ that yr and notched a memorable win away to Pep Guardiola’s imperial-era Manchester Metropolis.
And Leeds ultimately completed only one place and two factors behind Arsenal in Arteta’s first full season in cost. Feels a very long time in the past now.
Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been crushed within the years since. Manchester United joined that listing final season, when Leeds ended a 45-year await a league victory at Previous Trafford.
However Arsenal stay the one nut they’ll’t crack. Leeds have misplaced their final eight conferences with Arteta’s facet, together with 5-0 and 4-0 thrashings final season.
These outcomes stand out much more given the nook that Leeds turned and the way Arsenal’s title-winning marketing campaign was outlined by tight, nervy, hard-fought wins. Arteta’s facet had been frequently pushed by groups significantly weaker than Leeds, but comfortably swept Farke’s males apart twice. Manchester Metropolis, the one different facet to finish the double over Leeds, encountered significantly extra resistance dwelling and away.
Leeds are having a beautiful time of it. Unbeaten this season, wonderful outcomes, a well-run membership and a fanbase that’s nearly unerringly optimistic. It’s been a very long time since there was so little to moan about.
However Arsenal stay unfinished enterprise. Lastly beating them would take away the final lingering doubt that Leeds can compete with anybody on their day. Arsenal had been crushed 3-0 by Brighton earlier than the prolonged break. If there’s ever an excellent time to catch them, maybe that is it.
That would depart profitable at Wembley because the final nice psychological hurdle.
“United are again” is a well-liked chorus at Elland Street nowadays. It’ll definitely really feel that method in the event that they’re p*ssing on Arsenal’s chips once more, identical to they used to.
READ NEXT: Eirik Bakke: Beating ‘boastful’ Arsenal with Leeds; occurring the p*ss pre-Milan
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