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Leeds v Man Utd: Why does the rivalry matter?
In his best-selling ‘Managing My Life’ autobiography, Sir Alex Ferguson reflected on his feelings about a trip to Elland Road.
“The crowd invariably give us the impression that a lynching would be too good for us,” he said.
After a typically fraught League Cup victory there in 2011, Ferguson offered this observation too.
“I have always said Liverpool–Manchester United games are fierce in many aspects,” he added.
“But it never reaches the levels of Leeds United. Never.”
Leeds have already hosted a couple of historic rivals in December, beating Chelsea 3-1 at home and producing an epic fightback to snatch a point in a 3-3 draw against Liverpool.
But a visit from Manchester United is something else.
“I have a decorating firm and for 40 years we have had the motto that we will not use red paint,” said lifelong Leeds fan Gary Edwards.
“We will paint over red free of charge. It’s still going to this day. It’s on all the business cards and letterheads.”
The actual origins of the rivalry are difficult to pinpoint.
Many feel it dates to the War of the Roses in the 15th century, although that is probably too simplistic given the Duchy and Dukedom of the Houses of York and Lancaster had little to do with the cities themselves and the Duchy of Lancaster had land and offices in Yorkshire.
Others think the rivalry has its origins in the industrial revolution which does, at least in part, correspond to the emergence of football as an organised sport – even if neither club, either originally as Leeds City and Newton Heath, or their current names, came to real prominence until after the Second World War.
Possibly, the reverence from the 1950s and beyond for the Busby Babes compared to the negativity around Don Revie’s team in the 1960s and 70s, is a factor.
The knowledge that key players – Johnny Giles, Gordon Strachan, Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Denis Irwin and Eric Cantona among them – left one club to become an integral part of the success of the other is another. Also, the proximity of the best supported teams from the two biggest cities in two neighbouring counties, separated geographically, by the Pennines.
Whatever it is, the rivalry is real and despite the early 12:30 GMT kick-off, Elland Road is guaranteed to be a cauldron as Leeds look for their first home victory over Manchester United in the Premier League since 2002, when Harry Kewell scored the winner.
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson was in goal for Leeds that day and told BBC Sport: “One hundred percent it feels different.
“You get to the stadium two hours before kick-off and certain areas are sectioned off. There are police here, you can’t drive there. This road is closed, that road is closed.
“It is as intense as any derby that you want to name in this country – and it is not friendly.
“I grew up as a kid in the Leeds academy and was a ball boy at some games. The away section used to be in the cheese wedge in the corner of Elland Road. For most of the season, nobody wanted to be a ball boy in that corner. But when Manchester United came to town, everybody wanted to be over in that corner, for whatever reason.
“It was just a different game and a different experience.”
Neither manager has been part of a Leeds–Manchester United game before.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke knows it is a game that means a lot for his club’s fans and is talking about making “dreams come true”.
Manchester United‘s Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim has been at the centre of the Dérbi de Lisboa, as a player for Benfica and a coach at Lisbon rivals Sporting.
He is not sure the comparison is particularly helpful.
“I heard it is a big rivalry and a big derby,” said Amorim.
“It is hard to compare different cultures, different derbies and different histories. It’s a game in a hostile environment and that is going to be hard for any player. But when you play for Manchester United, you need to be ready for everything.”
Leeds‘ last title-winning campaign in 1992 was made more satisfying because they won it at the expense of Manchester United, who were in control of their own destiny until a run of three successive defeats in the space of seven days right at the end of the season let Howard Wilkinson’s side in.
Sadly for Leeds, the post-script came the following November, when chief executive Bill Fotherby rang Manchester United counterpart Martin Edwards to ask about the chances of bringing full-back Irwin back to the club.
Ferguson was in the room and said no to Irwin leaving, but told Edwards to mention the availability of French forward Cantona. It was a call that changed the course of English footballing history.
“I’ve never forgiven Bill for that,” says Gary Edwards.
Maybe one of the reasons why Leeds‘ rivalry with Manchester United doesn’t spring to mind in the same way as others in England is the relative infrequency of it happening.
Apart from the 14-year spell that began with Leeds‘ top-flight promotion in 1990 and relegation in 2004, the two clubs met only eight times in the other 30 years from 1982. Leeds won once in 2010, as a League One side at Old Trafford in the FA Cup, and lost on five occasions.
The two clubs’ fans don’t forget though.
“Even when Leeds were in League One and the Championship, Manchester United still sang a song about teams they didn’t like and tagged ‘and Leeds‘ on to it,” said Robinson, who had six years at Leeds before joining Tottenham in 2004.
“Week in, week out, no matter what league they are in or who they are playing against, Leeds fans take great pride week in describing their dislike of Manchester United.”
Leeds go into the game in better form, having added a goalless New Year’s Day draw draw at Anfield to their home comeback against Arne Slot’s men to take their current unbeaten record to six games and seven points clear of relegation in 16th place. It is their best top-flight form since April 2021, when Marcelo Bielsa was in charge.
By contrast, sixth-placed Manchester United have just three wins since the end of October and on 30 December failed to beat a Wolves side that has picked up just three points all season.
Regardless, Robinson believes there are some Leeds fans for whom a successful season this time around would be to finish 17th and beat Manchester United.
“That does exist,” said Gary Edwards. “I’m not quite like that, but 100% there are fans who think that way.
“I just feel it is as good a time to play them as any because we have turned a corner.
“We’ve kept the same formation and the same players who looked dire at the start of the season are now assured and confident.
“It will make the game interesting. Very, very interesting.”
No side will relish coming up against Calvert-Lewin and this aggressive Leeds outfit at Elland Road this season.
In fact, only Arsenal (52), Manchester City (50), Manchester United (45) and Bournemouth (37) have won more Premier League points in 2026 than Leeds United (35), with the Whites suffering just a single defeat across their past 13 league matches.
Yet Newcastle‘s implosion was remarkable as a young team were bullied and outfought.
Newcastle had previously made a good start under head coach Matthias Jaissle, following so much change in the summer, and were unbeaten in their opening five games in all competitions before this reality check.
But they have faced more shots than any other side in the Premier League.
However clinical Newcastle were in the opening weeks of the campaign, they mustered just eight efforts on target against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth before their trip to Elland Road.
That was a dangerous cocktail going into this game.
What was most galling, though, was the visitors’ failure to match Leeds‘ bite at a raucous Elland Road.
Jaissle’s side crumbled and conceded three goals in a chastening 14-minute period in the first half.
It was a night the German manager swore in his post-match news conference to illustrate how low he felt.
“I don’t want to point fingers and point any players out tonight,” he said. “We were not matching as a team the level of intensity, the level of duel behaviours, the level of physicality.
“This is something we need to bring on the pitch in every match. This is non-negotiable. It should be the basic fundamentals of football.
“These are young lads. The learning curve needs to be fast.”
For Calvert-Lewin and Leeds, however, this was a night to remember.
Gary Hamilton has been linked with most Irish Premiership vacancies since he left his role at Glenavon in 2023.
Hamilton made 132 appearances and scored 70 goals for the east Belfast side and is already well respected at the club.
The 45-year-old has always had an eye for bringing in and developing younger talent, a skill which would benefit the Glens.
During his almost 12-year spell at the Lurgan Blues, he won the Irish Cup twice in 2014 and 2016, registered four third-place finishes and European football.
Hamilton currently manages Conference League side Ballymacash Rangers, who have won the Steel and Sons for the first time during his tenure.
A manager such as Hamilton, who has secured plenty of silverware during his career, will certainly tick a lot of the boxes that Glentoran would be hoping for in a new manager.
Whereas players in sports like football earn a salary based on a contract with the team that employs them, and athletes in individual sports like tennis and golf can earn a great deal from prize money at major tournaments, athletics competitors rely much more heavily on personal sponsorships and endorsements.
That is because they are paid no direct annual salary, and the only standardised prize money on offer is $50,000 (£37,000) for winning gold in one of the 48 track and field events at the Olympics.
That prize money was only introduced at the 2024 Games in Paris, and is paltry compared to the potential millions in winnings on offer in other major sports.
Some nations – including the USA – also choose to pay athletes who win medals from their own resources, but Britain does not.
Instead, athletes are awarded funding and grants by UK Sport, with the majority of the money coming from the National Lottery.
UK Sport ranks athletes by how likely they are to win medals at major events, and gives more funding to those whose chances it believes are better.
Athletes typically use that funding to pay for training camps, equipment, travel and, in some cases, personal support staff like physiotherapists, nutritionists and chefs.
So why would athletes be instructed to wear national team kit at the Ultimates?
The Ultimate Championship is billed as three fast-paced evenings with a record $10m (£7.4m) prize pot on offer for the biggest stars in athletics.
The condensed schedule and focus on star names is designed to appeal to viewers on television and social media – the latter likely playing a role in the focus on short, sharp bursts of action which can capture attention online.
Most viewers of athletics are used to watching athletes compete while wearing national kit at the Olympics and World Championships. Put simply, the use of a national kit makes it easier for the casual viewer to quickly spot who they should be rooting for and feel invested in the action.
But Kerr’s comments have highlighted the fact that something which may well improve the viewing experience can be felt as a direct financial negative by the athletes themselves.
With the next edition of the Ultimate Championship set to take place in September 2028, shortly after the Olympics in Los Angeles, the battle between brands and country could continue to heat up.
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CK Updates10 hours agoIrish Premiership: Who will replace Declan Devine as Glentoran manager?
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CK Updates4 hours agoLeeds 4-1 Newcastle: Is ‘unplayable’ Calvert-Lewin in line for England recall?
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CK Updates16 hours agoJosh Kerr: Ultimate Championship 1500m winner ramps up debate over country vs brands kit