BAD FRIDAY - Remembering Wigan's fateful last visit to Elland Road
As Leeds welcome Wigan Athletic for a Championship clash tomorrow afternoon, we look back on one of the most infamous defeats in Leeds United's recent history when 10-man Wigan astonishingly derailed United's automatic promotion bid on Good Friday.
Four games to go, a beautiful sunny day and the start of an Easter weekend where if things went there way, Leeds could of booked a long-awaited return to the Premier League. Optimism was high, people flocked to Elland Road in shorts, pint in hand, the feeling of euphoria in touching distance for their team. A plane had been hired to fly over the stadium pre-match declaring "Bielsa is God".
On the previous Saturday, Leeds's closest rivals for promotion, Sheffield United, had dropped points at home to Millwall, before Leeds capitalised and disposed of their city rivals Sheffield Wednesday to sit three points clear of the automatic promotion places. However, Sheffield United again had the chance to put the pressure on Leeds and did so in another early kick-off beating 10-man Nottingham Forest 2-0 to move level with Leeds on 82 points but ahead on goal difference. But that's fine, because Leeds will beat struggling Wigan who haven't won away from home all season.
An electric atmosphere tinged with nerves after Sheffield United's result greeted the players to the pitch and Leeds took the game to their visitors as they so often do. Leeds couldn't of been gifted a more favourable start after 14 minutes when Cedric Kipre gave away a penalty for handball and was given his marching orders. Pablo Hernandez missed the resulting penalty to add to the anxiety of the stands. But it's okay, surely Wigan won't be able to last 75 minutes with 10 men without conceding? They lasted, just three when Patrick Bamford gave Leeds the lead cue pandemonium and relief from all of a Leeds persuasion.
Leeds had been ruthless all season to this point, never throwing away a single point after taking the lead in a match. Wigan manager Paul Cook went as far as saying post match that at that point their first thought was 'how much can we keep them down to'. United took the control their numerical advantage and quality would suggest for most of the first half but couldn't make it count and you could hear a pin drop when a Gavin Massey sucker punch equalised for the Latics a minute before half time to stun Elland Road.
Again though, this will be alright, we'll score again against 10 man Wigan won't we? But the atmosphere inside the ground grew restless, toxic even, and fed it's way down to the players on the pitch. Leeds created an incredible 36 attempts on goal but were wasteful, tame, and every misplaced pass or blocked cross brought a collective groan all around. 30,000 dreams frustratingly breaking in front of their eyes. On a rare Wigan venture up the pitch Gavin Massey again broke Leeds hearts putting Wigan unbelievably ahead. Leeds huffed and puffed but couldn't even manage to salvage a point. The Leeds players sunk to their knees and the thud of thousands of seats slammed as fans made their way angrily from the stands could be heard.
At 1-0 every possible stat from that season pointed towards a Leeds win. Leeds not dropping a point when being a ahead, Wigan not winning an away game in 2019 til then (and not again for the remainder of the year), the best home record in the league vs the worst and 10 men against 11 for 75 minutes.
It's hard to tell when exactly did Leeds lose their near certain grip on promotion. Was it when 'spygate' became a distraction of national interest? Was it when Sheffield United won at Elland Road in March? Or was it when it was actually all over when we lost the play-off semi final second leg against Derby County? One things for sure there is no getting away from the fact Wigan at home on Good Friday was a game Leeds had to, and should of won and we will never know what might of happened if we did.
An Easter Weekend that could of been jubilant ended terminal for Leeds's automatic promotion hopes. Sheffield United won at Hull City and Leeds went down 2-0 at Brentford on Easter Monday and were resigned to a play-off place.
Marcelo Bielsa had no explanations for the result. "The result condems seriously my work. If I look for reasons, I have no explanations that could justify a loss like this".
Pre game the Plane hovering over Elland Road stated "Bielsa is God". At the end of the game it was the man upstairs was who Bielsa blamed. "The final result was a decision of God, not mine. I know people will treat that sarcastically".
By Lawrence O'Sullivan