Thursday night saw Leeds United book their place in the play-off final at Wembley with a huge 4-0 win over Norwich but also saw the end of an era for captain Liam Cooper.
After a 0-0 draw in the first leg, another close affair was expected at Elland Road but Leeds took complete control to go and win 4-0. Ilia Gruev opened the scoring with a clever free-kick, surprising Angus Gunn.
Joel Piroe, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville also got their names on the score sheet to make it 4-0. Cooper came off the bench for the final few minutes as Farke’s men eased into the final at Wembley.
The defender is approaching 10 years at Leeds after joining the club in Massimo Cellino’s first summer in 2014 from Chesterfield. He has gone on to play 284 times for the Yorkshire club, scoring 11 Leeds goals.
Cooper said at the Leeds awards night that he would love to sign a new contract and stay beyond the summer. But writing in his captain’s column ahead of Thursday night, he pretty much confirmed his exit.
He wrote in the Leeds United programme that it had “been a pleasure” to captain Leeds over the years:
Liam Cooper pretty much confirms he will be leaving Leeds
Cooper’s spell at Leeds has been up and down, with the 17-time Scotland man not short of his critics and nicknamed ‘League One Cooper’. A Leeds stint that has seen Cooper pick up plenty of injuries as well.
But, he was the man to captain Leeds to promotion under Marcelo Bielsa, and continued to lead the side in the Premier League for three years. His form for Leeds has seen him go on and play for Scotland.
Here is what Cooper wrote before last night’s 4-0 win, in Thursday night’s programme: “As I have said many times previously, not only playing for Leeds, but captain of this amazing club is a huge honour.
“One which I never take for granted. It has been a pleasure leading this group of players this season and naturally I want nothing more than for the campaign to finish in the way we all dream of,” Cooper said.
Who will replace Cooper as Leeds captain moving forward?
With Cooper being reduced to a fringe player this season, Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk have worn the armband in his absence. Struijk wore it while in the side, ahead of Ampadu who only joined last summer.
But Ampadu has sparkled for Leeds in his role as captain at the tender age of 23, playing well beyond his age with a maturity of someone like 32-year-old Cooper and Daniel Farke now has a decision to make.
Struijk, or Ampadu? Now, given Struijk has been injured for the last few months and the work Ampadu has done as on-pitch captain, surely it has to go to the Wales star ahead of next season.
