Leeds United eased to the Championship play-off final with an incredible 4-0 victory over Norwich City.
After a cagey 0-0 draw in the first leg at Carrow Road, it was anything but last night as Leeds started like a house on fire and took control of the game from the off.
And it did not take long for Leeds to be rewarded for their early dominance as Ilia Gruev‘s brilliantly crafted free-kick found its way into the corner.
Joel Piroe – who enjoyed arguably his best performance in a Leeds shirt – then doubled the lead with a header, before Georginio Rutter made it three before the break to end a difficult run of form.
Leeds could’ve had considerably more goals in the second half but were made to settle for just the one more, as Crysencio Summerville tapped in Junior Firpo’s composed cut-back from the byline.
Farke says Illan Meslier did something ‘world class’ last night
It was a completely dominant performance from start to finish by Leeds, and that is certainly reflected in the statistics.
Leeds had 11 shots on target in comparison to Norwich’s one, while also enjoying 58 per cent of the possession.
But it was that one shot on target by the away side which could have actually completely changed the momentum of the game, as Josh Sargent raced through on goal just moments after Leeds had made it 2-0.
Sargent had just Illan Meslier to beat and after a difficult first leg, the Leeds shotstopper stood tall to make a vital save. It was met by a huge raw from the Elland Road crowd.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Daniel Farke labelled it as a ‘world class’ save considering how little he had to do throughout the 90 minutes. It is not the first time Farke has handed him that tag this season.
He said: “It was a sign of being a top, top class goalkeeper. He was not in the game, didn’t have one save to make, but a crucial moment he was there with a world class save. All credit goes to him today.”
Meslier save should give him huge confidence
Clearly Meslier’s confidence has taken a major hit in the last few weeks and that was reflected by how nervous he looked in possession in the first leg.
The £5 million man could barely string a pass together – long or short – and no doubt will have been feeling the nerves in front of an expectant home crowd.
However, that save, at such a crucial period in the game should give him so much confidence ahead of the final.
Without it, it may not have been such a comfortable evening and so Leeds certainly have a lot to thank their goalkeeper for.