Leeds United send out big message to Championship rivals with club's biggest win since 1972

Although he played down the feat a little the Whites boss was delighted to see his side put in a 90-minute display to match their best performance of the season with a totally justified 7-0 scoreline against Cardiff City bringing the club’s biggest win for almost 53 years.

The visitors came into the game on the back of an eight-match unbeaten run, but were two down inside 13 minutes and run ragged in the second half by a United team that looked hungry for goals.

With six different scorers it showed that this Leeds side are a team more than individuals and the way they celebrated goals for substitutes Willy Gnonto and Mateo Joseph in the second half showed how much they are fighting for each other.

With promotion rivals Burnley only drawing 0-0 again they have now opened up a five-point gap on the team in third and it was the perfect way to launch possibly their toughest period of the season that they now go into with some tricky games ahead in a short space of time.

Manager Farke was understandably pleased with many aspects of the performance, not least a fifth successive clean sheet as well as all the goals.

He said: Farke: “It was a great scoreline, the lads were on it today.

"This league is relentless and you have to be relentless yourself. This is what we've shown from the first to the last second. Our work in transition, our work in possession.

“What I liked was in the last 20 minutes, four or five up, we still had the desire to sprint back and defend the clean sheet and the discipline to create further chances and score further goals.

“We could even have scored a few more. Not perfect because we missed a few chances. But it doesn't come along that often, especially in this league. You have to enjoy it and value it."

“But it's just three points – good for the goal difference – but it's just three points.”

Farke continued: “I'm delighted for Willy and Mateo, it will do really well for their self confidence and our confidence as a team.

“It would have been perfect for Largie to score. I told him straight away in a 7-0 win it's not important for you to score. But if you score a winner in the 96th minute in a 1-0 win that's what we need so he shouldn't be too down and should celebrate with his teammates."

It was an emphatic way to answer some criticism that came the Whites' way after their drab goalless draw with Burnley in their previous game and Farke added: "There will always be criticism; we are Leeds United.

“We have to adapt a bit to a style of opponent and Burnley was an important clean sheet.

"If you want to be in charge of Leeds you have to accept it is an emotional club with supporters all around the world. Otherwise you should stay in non-league.

"Everyone cares so much about this club. We have a chance to write a chapter of history. In the last two decades, Leeds have been promoted to the Premier League just once.

"Sadly when Marcelo did it, it was during Covid in an empty stadium so we have that opportunity to do it with supporters. We will stay humble but self critical. Together with fans we have something to cheer about."

For the third home game in a row Leeds were fast out of the blocks and quickly ahead.

This time it was the sixth minute they opened the scoring after Dan James – who had already seen a shot deflected just wide – raced onto Joel Piroe's through ball and rounded keeper Jak Alnwick only to find the angle too tight to shoot. But he calmly found the unmarked Brenden Aaronson who had an easy job to find the back of the net.

Left-back Junior Firpo – who was an attacking threat throughout – went close to a second soon after following a corner, but was 2-0 on 13 minutes when Piroe again put James away and his low cross was perfect for his opposite winger Manor Solomon to score from close range.

No more goals followed in the first half, but Leeds' play was excellent all round the pitch against opponents who tried to play without being able to create a single chance apart from a long range shot by Anwar El Ghazi that was comfortably saved by Illan Meslier.

James and Piroe came closest to adding to the hosts' lead, with the former coming in from his wing to have five shots. He did put the ball in the net from Solomon's cross only for a tight offside call to deny him.

The second half was only five minutes old when James got the goal his energetic display deserved as he got on the end of a superb low ball in by Firpo following good work in the build-up by Joe Rothwell.

Alex Robertson tested home keeper Meslier with a shot from just outside the box, but it was one-way traffic again from this point with Piroe sending a header over then seeing a shot well saved low down by Alnwick. From the latter, the ball rebounded and would have been put in by James had he not been fouled by Callum O'Dowda.

A yellow card for the defender was the result and a penalty awarded, which Piroe calmly put away.

It was mostly about the hungry substitutes then as Gnonto, with his first touch, went at the Cardiff defence then planted a shot into the bottom corner of the net – it was now 5-0.

Largie Ramazani saw a shot deflected just wide and Pascal Struijk almost scored with a close range volley.

Piroe saw a volley well saved before Ramazani shot inches wide when he may have been better to have teed up the unmarked Mateo Joseph.

The young Leeds striker's disappointment at not getting the ball was to last less than a minute as he volleyed home from close range from another great ball in by Firpo. He had ended his goal drought to great delight and this looked to be the icing on the cake.

However, with chants of “we want seven” going round the ground and five minutes of added time to be played there was one more big cheer with Piroe running onto Firpo's through ball to finish smartly – 7-0 and not many people saw that coming before the game.

Leeds United 7

(Aaronson 6, Solomon 13, James 50, Piroe 65, pen, 90+5, Gnonto 67, Joseph 88)

Cardiff City 0

Saturday, February 1, 2025

Championship

Attendance: 35,810

Leeds: Meslier; Bogle (Byram 65), Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo; Tanaka (Struijk 78), Rothwell; James (Gnonto 65), Aaronson (Joseph 70), Solomon (Ramazani 70); Piroe.

Cardiff: Alnwick; Goutas, Daland (Bagan 56), Chambers; Rinomhota, Robertson, Ralls (Ng 68), O'Dowda (Fish 81); Ashford (Mannsverk 68), Robinson, El Ghazi (Salech 56).

Referee: Michael Salisbury