Greg Wilcox, (Live Updates)
It’s now a one-off shootout
📰 All to play for at Elland Road pic.twitter.com/IgxeqtZjah
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 12, 2024
Leeds will be happier with the draw
Advantage Leeds? Probably as a clean sheet from a Phoney War first-leg that was short on both quality and shots on target suited the visitors better than hosts who had lost both regular-season games to Daniel Farke’s Whites and finished 17 points worse off.
Leeds, who have failed all five previous attempts to get up through the play-offs, felt they should have had a penalty early on when Wilfried Gnonto was felled by Borja Sainz and Junior Firpo had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside before the break.
It was all too frantic however and both sides know there is room for plenty of improvement when the tie is settled under the lights at Elland Road on Thursday.
67 mins: Norwich City 0 Leeds United 0
Free-kick for the hosts, it’s about 30 yards out and the debate is whether to shot or cross. Nunez decides decides to shoot, it hits the wall and goes over the byline for a corner. From this set piece Leeds defend well and clear the danger. You think if a goal is to come it will be from a set piece.
52 mins: Norwich City 0 Leeds United 0
BREAKING NEWS: There’s been a half-decent chance at Carrow Road! The ball comes in from the left and Gabriel Sara’s first-time, left-footed shot goes just wide of the near post. Possibly should have got that on target but, such has been the match so far, he earns a round of applause from his manager, David Wagner.
Leeds will be the happier side
Norwich shaded a first-half that saw energy levels drop after a frantic start. Leeds will feel they should have had a penalty early on however when Borja Sainz appeared to manhandle Wilfried Gnonto to the turf. Did the Spaniard get a touch on the ball with a swinging leg? If so it might have saved his side.
As did an extremely tight offside call against Georginio Rutter just before Shane Duffy’s error allowed Junior Firpo to poke into an empty net. Leeds can feel aggrieved about those two decisions – referee Josh Smith further angered the away section by booking Gnonto for sarcastic clapping – but overall 0-0 suits them fine.
40 mins: Norwich City 0 Leeds United 0
Free-kick for the hosts. It’s on the edge of the final third and a good chance to put Leeds under pressure. But as with so much of this match so far nothing comes of it. Forty minutes in and this match is jam-packed of ‘nearlys’ but no chances. Both keepers have been, for the most part, spectators.
38 mins: Norwich City 0 Leeds United 0
Sky Sports have just shown a visual that shows where the ‘average’ position of each player for Leeds has been. All bar two are in their own half. They certainly are sitting deep but this being the first of a two-legged affair means that’s no real shock with the second clash taking place in West Yorkshire.
28 mins: Norwich City 0 Leeds United 0
The ball is in the back of the net for Leeds as Firpo pounces on a couple of mistakes from Gunn and Duffy after some great one-touch passing in midfield from the visitors. Alas, there was an offside in the build up and it does not count. The Norwich defence, however, didn’t know that and are very lucky to see the flag go up .
18 mins: Norwich City 0 Leeds United 0
Corner for the hosts comes via a free-kick, bit of pressure from Norwich. Leeds defend the initial ball but then concede another free-kick. Good opportunity for Norwich to create something, alas the visitors clear their lines well. But good spell for the hosts nonetheless.
5 mins: Norwich City 0 Leeds United 0
First real opening of the match goes to Leeds as Gnoto glides into the final third on the right, gets his head up and plays a low ball into the box, Rutter then proceeds to ‘swing and a miss’ it and the chance goes begging. That was the visitors’ first real bit of possession.
Norwich are ‘match ready’
Not a bad state to be in ahead of a BIG game...
Match ready 💛 pic.twitter.com/pnKczfh0ix
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) May 12, 2024
How are Leeds fans feeling?
Here’s Leeds fan, author of the brilliant ‘The Biography of Leeds United: The Story of the Whites’, and Telegraph Sport’s very own Rob Bagchi on the mood in West Riding...
Daniel Farke’s stated mission this week is to dispel the pessimism that takes hold of Leeds United and argue that while the supporters may have mental scars, his players don’t. And yet fear has always been the default mode going into the play-offs. This is their and my sixth ordeal and we have blown each one. But as all readers of Gramsci know, “my mind is pessimistic, but my will is optimistic”. They have the talent to record a third victory over Norwich this season but a lot depends on Farke’s ability to cure the anxiety that destroyed their automatic promotion hopes in April.
So how are Norwich feeling ahead of this crucial match?
Well, here’s an interview with David Wagner that answers that question...
READ: David Wagner interview: A call from Delia Smith turned Norwich’s season around
![Daniel Farke slams officials over disallowed goal in Leeds' play-off draw at Norwich (6) Daniel Farke slams officials over disallowed goal in Leeds' play-off draw at Norwich (6)](https://i0.wp.com/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/05/12/TELEMMGLPICT000376153497_17155095151720_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqqVzuuqpFlyLIwiB6NTmJwSX5rhseiWKOo9p9OQ-ymek.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Norwich City vs Leeds United starting line-ups (in black and white)
Norwich City
Gunn, Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, Giannoulis, Nunez, McLean, Gabriel Sara, Rowe, Sainz, Sargent.
Subs: Hanley, Long, van Hooijdonk, McCallum, Fassnacht, Sorensen, Batth, Fisher, Welch.
Leeds United
Meslier, Byram, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo, Gruev, Kamara, Gnonto, Gray, Summerville, Rutter.
Subs: Cresswell, Cooper, Piroe, Anthony, Shackleton, James, Darlow, Roberts, Fernandez.
Referee: Josh Smith (Lincolnshire)
Norwich City’s starting XI (and bench) has been announced
Our team for today's first leg 💛@Jonathanrowe__ starts for the first time since January 💪 pic.twitter.com/I3wSh4rJ4B
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) May 12, 2024
And the Leeds United line-up looks a little like this . . .
📋 Your #LUFC Starting XI... pic.twitter.com/7MQeo8l3Kf
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 12, 2024
‘Temperature’s rising. Fever is high’
Looking boisterous outside Carrow Road . . .
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) May 12, 2024
. . . where Leeds United have arrived.
🚌 Arrived in East Anglia! pic.twitter.com/y8KOHFtiuK
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 12, 2024
‘It’s the hope that kills’
The play-offs are the matches where the phrase ‘it’s the hope that kills’ is most apt. The Premier League is tantalisingly close, you can almost reach out and touch it, but to get there you’ll likely have to endure a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from ‘we’re going to do it, we’re going to get into the top flight’ to ‘on the plus side, we’d get murdered every week in the Premier League. Didn’t really want to go up anyway...’.
Those will be some of the thoughts of Leeds and Norwich fans over the next two matches the pair will fight it out in as they bid to get to Wembley to face either West Brom or Southampton. Having spoken to fans of both clubs there is a sense among a fair few that it’s almost a win-win situation: get promoted and you have the fun of pitting your wits against teams such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal on a weekly basis. Stay in the Championship and you get to avoid getting spanked by teams such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal on a weekly basis.
All in all it’s not exactly the most romantic sporting tale out there, one in which the joy of victory is quickly overshadowed by the dread of what might happen. The streets may be paved with gold in the Premier League, but for promoted teams there’s a good chance you’ll get run over on them.
Norwich and Leeds head into their play-off semi-final already with a bit of fear and trepidation. Today’s hosts drew two and lost one of their final three games of the regular season, while the visitors picked up only four points from their final five matches. Hardly confidence-inducing form.
But the thing about the play-offs is that whatever you did before counts for nothing, this is a straight shootout between four teams to get into the Premier League, a mini-tournament where (financial) dreams can come true TM.
Stay here to find out whether Norwich or Leeds are more likely to be worrying about top-flight torment later on.
🏟️ Carrow Road, Norwich pic.twitter.com/FrLRefunhl
— Leeds United (@LUFC) May 12, 2024