Are we sure Leeds United 3-3 Portsmouth definitely happened?

Written by: William Almond

Leeds travel to Portsmouth on Sunday, the team we opened the season against with a 3-3 draw. You were probably already aware of all of that, but it is astonishing how long ago that seems because, well, do you remember how you felt after that game? Yes, Leeds were the better team. Yes, Leeds should have been out of sight within the first half hour. And yes, Brenden Aaronson should probably have won it with the last kick of the game anyway. But it did all feel very Leeds, and not in a five points clear of third with eleven to play kind of way either.

The first thing you notice looking back at the highlights of that game is just how yellow Elland Road is. It looks as if Peter Ridsdale’s tank has developed a leak and his prized goldfish have spilled out all over the West Stand. Are you reading this Angus Kinnear*? Clearly, the yellow away shirt has been commercially successful, but it’s also clearly getting in the heads of the opposition, or making our players look bigger, or easier to see each other in their peripheral vision when they’re looking for a pass, or something else entirely, because Leeds have only lost once in the league with a blue bull on their chest this season. That’s now five wins and then draws at Burnley, Preston, Bristol City, Sunderland, and West Brom. Are you still reading this, Angus Kinnear*? Portsmouth play in white shorts so it’ll probably get an outing on the south coast at the weekend. Do not pay any attention if we lose, Angus Kinnear*.

(*and/or whichever 49ers intern replaces Angus Kinnear when he leaves and goes to Everton.)

The second thing you notice is Ilia Gruev. Remember him? Although he’s returned to the starting line-up in recent weeks following his knee injury, Leeds look a much better team with Tanaka and Rothwell in midfield. To watch the highlights is to remember a time before Ao and Joe in midfield, a dark time that no one should have to contemplate for too long. (‘Don’t fall in love with loan players, don’t fall in love with loan players, don’t fall in love with loan players.’) To be fair, Gruev did try to repeat his Norwich trick hitting the bar with a free-kick, and anything that makes you remember that night at Elland Road can’t be all bad.

Pascal Struijk opened the scoring with a penalty. To say the Big Sexy Pirate’s goals have been crucial this season would be an understatement. Without them, Leeds would be five points worse off and level with Burnley. On 23 minutes, Meslier palmed one into his own net — an early taste of delights to come. Before the break, Callum Lang struck the truest ball he has ever struck to produce a goal out of nothing. And after it, Willy Gnonto scored a great individual goal as the gangways of Elland Road were still a sea of yellow shirts returning from their half-time pints. That goal was part of an impressive start to the season when Gnonto scored two and grabbed four assists in the opening nine games, but Willy has registered just two of each since then. Neither Largie Ramazani nor Manor Solomon were yet to join the club — we really do have an embarrassment of riches out wide.

Just as things were in danger of petering out, Jayden Bogle tried to strangle a man and Lang converted the resulting penalty to set up the first of many capital F finales at Elland Road this season. In the end Brenden Aaronson scored and Brenden Aaronson missed, which is entirely consistent for a man who has scored eight goals this season but should have about fifteen. The ‘Medford Messi’ is currently the Championship’s joint-19th top scorer, which really does make you wonder what the point of the rest of the teams in this league actually is. Let’s just get promoted.

If you take out the madness — Lang’s barnstormer and Meslier’s soft hands — then the xG of 3.39 to 0.94 pretty much tells the story of the game. It’s easy to overthink things while sipping a cold one on the opening day though and I reckon we’d have all felt a lot better after the subsequent cup defeat against Middlesbrough with a 3-1 opening day win against Portsmouth safely in the back pocket.

In some ways, watching it back feels like watching an entirely different team. The game was open and chaotic which, by and large, Leeds games haven’t been this season. Georginio Rutter still played for us — it feels impossible that he left so recently and yes, despite how good everything is right now, I still miss him. In other ways though — the dominance, the missed chances, the porous goalkeeping, the late drama, and just how far forward Jayden Bogle is all the time — this is the same Leeds United we still know and love.

Rob’s match report for the game is titled ‘Buckle Up’ and he describes that opening day as ‘pure, unfiltered Leeds U-fucking-nited’. He ends with a quote from Bryn Law on commentary: “If the rest of the Championship season is going to be like this, then it’s going to be heavy on the heart.” As it has transpired, with a few notable exceptions in recent weeks, it hasn’t been nearly that dramatic. Well, at least not yet. So. Don’t. Fucking. Start. ⬢