'They smashed Norwich' - National media rave about Leeds United amid Elland Road point

Leeds United are 90 minutes away from sealing an immediate Premier League return. The Whites booked their place in the Championship play-off final, hammering Daniel Farke's former club Norwich City in the second leg 4-0 at a raucous Elland Road.

Strikes either side of half-time from Ilia Gruev, Joel Piroe, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville helped United return to winning ways in style. It was a scintillating attacking performance and the Whites will fancy their chances of ending their play-off hoodoo at Wembley on Sunday, May 26.

Farke's men will discover their opponent tonight when Southampton and West Bromwich Albion meet at St. Mary's Stadium for their semi-final second leg, with the aggregate score locked at nil-nil. Here is what the national media made of United's emphatic victory against Norwich.

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Daily Mirror - David Anderson

So much for Leeds’ play-off curse.

They smashed Norwich in front of an electric Elland Road to return to top form and book their place in the Championship play-off Final on Sunday week.

Neither Southampton nor West Brom will fancy them at Wembley after this high-octane display and Daniel Farke’s side were back to their very best.

After stuttering in the final weeks of the campaign to miss out on automatic promotion, Leeds blew Norwich away, scoring three goals in the first 40 minutes.

Leeds are back at Wembley for the first time since they lost the 2008 League One play-off Final to Doncaster and they have not won at the home of football since Eric Cantona scored a hat-trick in their 1992 Charity Shield victory over Liverpool. They will take some stopping on this compelling evidence and they were unplayable.

Norwich, under David Wagner who won the 2017 Championship play-offs with Huddersfield, had no answer to Leeds.

It was a sweet moment for Farke after he was sacked by Norwich in 2021 despite winning the Championship twice with them, but the German has too much class to gloat.

Daily Telegraph - Ross Heppenstall

History beckons for resurgent Leeds United, who will head to Wembley on May 26 aiming to win promotion via the play-offs for the first time.

Daniel Farke’s men had won only one of their previous seven games, but this stunning victory will ensure they contest the Championship play-off final overflowing with self-belief.

Leeds’ teamwork was matchless, their conviction unshakeable as they reduced Norwich to rubble at a raucous Elland Road. The match and the tie was effectively over at half-time with the hosts 3-0 up and in total control.

Ilia Gruev, Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter scored before the break and Crysencio Summerville added a fourth in the second half, sparking wild celebrations amongst the jubilant Leeds fans.

It was a special victory for Whites boss Farke, who guided Norwich to the Premier League as Championship title winners twice in the past five seasons.

Daily Mail - Dominic King

Leeds are on their way to Wembley, they sang on the streets outside Elland Road last night, and how emphatically that pre-match promise was fulfilled.

Nights at this raucous old venue can often be fraught and filled with angst but how different this proved to be. A white blizzard buried Norwich under a goals avalanche and now Leeds will go back to the national stadium for the first time since 2008.

You could not help but feel they really should have automatically returned to the top flight rather than subjecting themselves to the jeopardy of the play-offs. This, though, is how it must be and how they rose to the challenge.

The biggest compliment you could pay Leeds was that they looked like a Premier League side as they ripped Norwich apart. West Brom or Southampton await on May 26 and neither will feel comfortable about trying to subdue Daniel Farke's men.

The last time Leeds were on the cusp of promotion, during those bleak pandemic days four years ago, they relied on 12 people in the directors’ box to generate an atmosphere. There would be no such problem this time, with every seat taken, every voice raised and every arm twirling a scarf.

What an occasion the home fans made it and how their team responded. You sometimes wonder in a stadium as emotional as Elland Road whether the occasion will be too much for the players, but that was not the case.

The Guardian - Louise Taylor

Property experts believe Leeds is becoming an increasingly fashionable home for bright young professionals priced out of London but, as compelling as their arguments are, the city lacks one vital magnet: a Premier League football team.

Or at least it does at the moment. If the outstanding Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto, Archie Gray and company play as intelligently and incisively as this in the Championship playoff final at Wembley on Sunday week that deficiency will surely be rectified.

After watching a stunned Norwich being not so much defeated as thoroughly decimated, neither Southampton nor West Brom – who meet in Friday night’s second semi final – will relish the prospect of facing Daniel Farke’s sharp passing, pace suffused side in a final worth at least £135m to the winner.

The Leeds manager twice led Norwich to promotion and he had their measure here. “It was a great night for us,” said the German. “My young players were brilliant but when Elland Road is rocking this place is second to none. It’s too early for praise and self love but we have a great chance to write another chapter in the history of this amazing club.”

Norwich’s manager, David Wagner, was less animated. “It’s a low,” he admitted. “Leeds were very good but we were, obviously, very poor. Everything you should not do, we’ve done. We were second in all the duels. We switched off. The fairytale does not have a happy ending.”

The night concluded with the Kaiser Chiefs’ I Predict a Riot blasting out of Elland Road’s sound system but began with anarchic defending destroying Norwich’s hopes of reaching the Premier League.