Leeds breeze past Derby as champions ramp up promotion party

Derby 1-3 Leeds United: Pablo Hernandez, Jamie Shackleton and a Matt Clarke own-goal earned a comfortable victory

Leeds’ promotion party continues apace. Marcelo Bielsa’s side ended their 16-year wait to return to the Premier League and were crowned champions of Championship without kicking a ball thanks to West Bromwich Albion and Brentford's defeats on Friday and Saturday respectively, but they did not allow their hangovers to get the better of them in a commanding victory over Derby County.

Painful memories of last season’s play-off defeat were banished once and for all, as goals by Pablo Hernandez, Jamie Shackleton and an own goal by Matt Clarke defeated a Derby side who initially took the lead through Chris Martin. Bielsa’s players rounded off a weekend of celebrations with flags, flares and champagne after the final whistle, treating an empty Pride Park as if it were a full Elland Road.

Presumably as a result of a few sore heads among the squad, Leeds made seven changes from Thursday’s win over Barnsley, with Mateusz Klich’s extraordinary record of starting every league game under Bielsa’s management - a run which stretched to 92 games in all - finally coming to an end.

More notable, though, was the controversial return of Kiko Casilla, making his first appearance since serving an eight-game game for racial abusing Charlton’s Jonathan Leko. It was not a choice that Leeds had to make considering that on-loan Illan Meslier has deputised well and Casilla is yet to apologise to Leko. To witness the Spaniard taking the knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement was a jarring sight, to say the least.

The first half was goalless but, for all the revelry of the past few days, Leeds did not start slowly. The edge that has existed between these two clubs in recent times was put to one side for a guard of honour, but was there for all to see in the unflinching Gaetano Berardi challenge which forced Tom Lawrence off with a suspected shoulder injury after just five minutes.

Hernandez celebrates scoring for Leeds (Getty)

Berardi - who is yet to sign a contract to play Premier League football next season - would be stretchered off himself later in the half after landing awkwardly, in what could be his final act as a Leeds player. Ian Poveda thought he had his first goal for the club during the nine minutes added on at the end of the half for Lawrence and Berardi’s injuries, though he had strayed offside in the build-up.

Derby were second-best but still threatening. Tenacious work by the promising teenager Louis Sibley at the start of the second half led to Poveda slicing his clearance of an Omar Bogle cross. Craig Forsyth reacted fastest, finding Martin free on the right-hand side of the penalty area to pounce and finish past Casilla. Philip Cocu’s side had the lead but would hold it for no more than a minute.

If Leeds are to last more than one year in the top flight, they will need to see the best out of Hernandez. Everything that Bielsa’s side produce in the final third flows through the 35-year-old, but he required two bites of the cherry to equalise from the edge of Derby’s penalty area. His first shot was blocked by Curtis Davies, but his second from the rebound was as straight as an arrow into the bottom right-hand corner.

Leeds celebrate after beating Derby (Getty)

With parity restored, only one team looked like winning, though the identity of the match-winner was a surprise. Local-lad Shackleton was goalless in 39 appearances before running onto Tyler Roberts’ measured, defence-splitting through ball and sliding past the onrushing Kelle Roos at the near post.

There was still enough time for a third, with Clarke calamitously converting Ezgjan Alioski’s cross into his own goal. After seeing the ball bounce in, left-back Barry Douglas sprinted 30 yards to grab Alioski around the neck and bodyslam him into the ground. As far as celebrations go, it was excessive, but then you get the sense that Leeds will keep this party going for some time yet.