On the evening of September 20th, at Elland Road Stadium.
In the third round of the League Cup, the White Roses faced their historic rivals, Manchester United, at home.
When it comes to Leeds United's greatest rival, it has to be the Red Devils. Matches between the two sides are famously known as the "Roses Derby."
Some say football is modern warfare without the smoke and fire.
The feud between Leeds United and Manchester United can be traced back to the War of the Roses between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. During the Industrial Revolution, Manchester thrived on cotton, while Leeds prospered with wool, further intensifying the rivalry.
These two clubs have become the modern embodiment of their cities' cultural heritage and long-standing animosity.
Every time Manchester United faces Leeds United, the tension is palpable.
Leeds United's golden era came in the 1960s and 70s, when they won two league titles and five runner-up finishes. They also claimed two European trophies, both in the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Many people may not even remember that competition anymore, but they surely know what it eventually became.
The UEFA Cup.
Yes, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was the predecessor of the UEFA Cup, rebranded in 1971.
During their Fairs Cup days, Leeds United won it twice and finished runners-up twice, once to Juventus and twice more against Dinamo Zagreb and Barcelona.
In addition, Leeds United reached the European Cup final in 1975 but lost to Bayern Munich.
In short, during the 1960s and 70s, Leeds United were a major force in English football.
But in the 1980s, English football's boom era, Leeds United were relegated from the top flight. They didn't return to what was then called the First Division until 1990 and went on to win their third top-flight title in 1992.
That same year, the Premier League was established.
From the 1980s onward, Leeds United and Manchester United went in completely different directions. In the Premier League era, the gap between them has only widened.
In the first decade of the Premier League, Leeds United were still competitive, but no longer in the same league as Manchester United.
Even under David O'Leary in the early 2000s, when Leeds reached the Champions League semi-finals, they still couldn't shake United's dominance. And financial mismanagement eventually led to another relegation.
In the 1980s, Leeds spent seven years in the second tier. But this time, things were worse. They even dropped into the third tier.
Relegated in 2004, seven years had now passed, and the club remained in the Championship.
This weighed heavily on the hearts of Leeds United's die-hard fans.
Fortunately, Gao Shen had arrived.
He took over Leeds United with his own staff.
This brought new hope to all Leeds supporters.
Especially in this season's Championship.
After beating Bristol City 2-1 at home in Round 7, Leeds United became the only team to win seven consecutive matches. They also opened a three-point lead over the second-placed side.
Leeds United were gaining momentum and recognition.
Everyone believed they were now favorites for promotion to the Premier League.
Fans began to dream of a Leeds United revival.
Amid this backdrop, Leeds United drew Manchester United in the League Cup.
Elland Road was packed to capacity. More than 30,000 fans turned out to cheer on their team.
The entire city was behind this match.
This was a derby.
This was war.
…
Ferguson never imagined he would suffer a heavy blow at Elland Road.
He rotated heavily for this match, starting with a lineup of reserves and backups. Amos was in goal.
But there were still big names on the field: Carrick, Giggs, Park Ji-sung, Valencia, Berbatov, and Owen.
Manchester United were still loaded with talent.
But just one minute and forty-seven seconds into the match, Leeds United struck first. Kurzawa and Adam Lallana linked up down the left, Benteke laid the ball back near the left edge of the penalty area, and Pogba arrived from deep to fire past Amos.
1–0!
Was that all?
Far from it.
In the 4th minute, Leeds broke through again on the wing and won a corner.
Koulibaly headed toward the far post. Berbatov blocked it on the goal line. Maguire followed up with a shot that was also blocked by Berbatov. Then Bolasie pounced and buried the rebound from close range.
2–0!
Elland Road erupted!
Leeds fans couldn't believe what they were seeing.
The Championship leaders had stunned the Premier League leaders with two early goals?
Even if Manchester United hadn't fielded their strongest side, even if Ferguson rotated heavily, they were still Manchester United.
But United responded quickly.
In the 15th minute, Berbatov threaded a through ball. Owen made a run, beat Maguire one-on-one, and finished calmly to pull a goal back.
2–1.
But in the 19th minute, Leeds launched another attack down the right. Klein surged forward, made a move, and delivered a cross into the box. Benteke outmuscled United center-back Fellers and scored with a powerful header.
3–1!
The crowd was in disbelief.
But Manchester United weren't going down without a fight.
In the 36th minute, Berbatov delivered another pass, and an unmarked Valencia finished from close range, cutting the deficit to 3–2.
Just before halftime, Giggs dribbled into the left side of the penalty area and slotted a low shot into the net.
3–3!
It was all square.
…
In the second half, Manchester United began to take control.
Their midfield of Carrick, Park Ji-sung, and Giggs was full of composure and control.
But Leeds United showed great resilience. They pressed hard and played a gritty, physical game.
Ferguson subbed off Giggs in the 55th minute, bringing on Lingard to maintain energy and ball retention in midfield.
After all, Giggs was no longer young.
Leeds found it difficult to create chances early in the second half. Manchester United pushed forward, but Courtois bounced back from his shaky first half and stood tall, making crucial saves from Owen and Berbatov to keep the game level.
The match remained locked in a stalemate.
Until the second minute of stoppage time, when Leeds United found a breakthrough on the counter.
Pogba played a diagonal ball from the left side of midfield to the right flank in the final third.
Young Zaha, who had come on for Bolasie, found himself in a one-on-one situation near the corner of the box.
The young winger used a series of rapid feints to unbalance his defender, then accelerated down the byline and broke into the right side of the penalty area.
Benteke made a run toward the near post, but Zaha didn't pass to him. Instead, he stopped suddenly, burst forward again, and cut the ball across to the edge of the six-yard box.
Paulinho, who had been lurking in the middle, made a run to meet the cross, used his body to hold off Carrick, and calmly slotted the ball into the net.
Before the referee blew his whistle, Paulinho had already sprinted out of the box in celebration.
Elland Road exploded with wild cheers.
It felt as though the entire city was roaring.
4–3!
The broadcast camera panned to Ferguson on the sideline.
The Manchester United manager looked visibly stunned.
He clearly hadn't expected Leeds United to score again in stoppage time.
…
In the final two minutes, Manchester United threw everything forward in search of an equalizer.
But time ran out quickly.
They couldn't find another goal.
Leeds United defeated Manchester United 4–3 at home, pulling off a massive upset.
Before the match, when the draw was announced, everyone assumed that Leeds United's League Cup run was over.
Even if United played their backups, even if Ferguson used the match to blood young players, they were still Manchester United.
And Carrick, Berbatov, and Owen had all played.
This wasn't United at their strongest, but it was still a level above any Championship team.
But Leeds United had won.
An upset!
A huge one!
As soon as the match ended, the entire English football world was in shock.
The leaders of the Championship had just beaten the leaders of the Premier League. What could be more surprising?
And this was no ordinary match.
This was the Roses Derby!
The historic grudge match between bitter rivals Leeds United and Manchester United!
Ferguson refused to criticize his players after the game. He even said he was generally satisfied with their performance.
Young defender Fellers made his first senior appearance in this match, playing as a center-back. Leeds scored four goals, and Fellers was deeply involved in nearly every one.
"He's trained very well and believed he was ready," Ferguson explained his decision to start Fellers. "So when I needed a new center-back for the League Cup, he was the first to raise his hand."
In the match, Fellers failed to contain Benteke, and Manchester United's overall defending was poor. That became a key factor in Leeds scoring four times.
Ferguson refused to comment further on the defending but did admit Leeds had played well.
"Many teams raise their level when they play Manchester United," he said.
In other words, Leeds had played above their usual standard.
When asked about former United player Paul Pogba, who had put in a standout performance, Ferguson said he was pleased to see Pogba progressing at Leeds.
"I believe he has a chance to return to Manchester United."
But after being named Man of the Match, Pogba told the Yorkshire Post in an interview, "Return to Manchester United? No. If I go back, it will be as an opponent."
The French midfielder said he was happy at Leeds and enjoying life at the club.
"I want to prove my strength to the world."
It was clear he was still resentful over how things ended at United.
This upset quickly spread across the UK and even reached the wider European football world.
Manchester United had just reached the top of the league, only to be knocked out of the League Cup immediately after. No matter how you looked at it, this was a major embarrassment for Ferguson.
(To be continued.)
***
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