Flashback Manchester United and Leeds United Rivalry

DBasia.news – Leeds United is only in the status of a promotion team in the 2020-2021 Premier League. However, the Yorkshire club has a long history of rivalry with English giants Manchester United.

The match that brought Leeds against Manchester United was commonly referred to as The Roses Derby. This is one of the hottest duels in Great Britain.

In terms of achievement, Leeds is nothing compared to Manchester United. The number of trophies they have is far behind the Red Devils.

As is known, Manchester United have won 20 times the highest caste competition in England. Meanwhile, Leeds has only been three times and the last happened for nearly three decades.

The fact that Leeds only returned to the Premier League after being relegated in the 2003-2004 season also had an effect. No wonder the hot rivalry of the two teams lost to the famous Manchester Derby or North West Derby against Liverpool.

History of the Roses Derby

Manchester United were only founded in 1878 and Leeds United 41 years later. However, the roots of their rivalry have been cultivated since the 15th century.

In that century, there was a civil war entitled The War of the Roses which involved two regions, namely Lancashire and Yorkshire. Both regions contested the British royal throne.

Lancaster, which became the area where Manchester United came from, is synonymous with an oversized flag with a red rose. Meanwhile, Yorkshire, which is the area of origin of Leeds, has a symbol of white roses.

These wars lasted for years and killed hundreds of thousands of people. The two territories were finally united after Lancashire aristocrat Henry VII married the daughter of the leader of Yorkshire, Edward IV, named Elizabeth.

After reconciling, the rivalry between the people of the two regions was maintained. But the competition for Lancashire and Yorkshire has shifted to other fields including football.

The industrial revolution at the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century helped spark the rivalry of the two clubs. The people of Leeds were disturbed after the wool industry, which was the main source of regional income, was matched by the Manchester cotton industry.

This competition was finally won by Manchester, whose cotton industry was progressing. On the other hand, the wool industry in Leeds was weakening and they pointed to their neighbors as the cause.

In the midst of this industrial competition, Manchester United and Leeds United have become one of the competition tools for the two regions.

The first duel between the two teams was reported to have taken place in January 1906 in the second division arena. Leeds at that time managed to beat Manchester United with a score of 3-0.

It didn’t take long, Manchester United immediately responded a few months later. They beat Leeds 3-1 at Elland Road.

While the first Roses Derby in the top division took place 20 years later, in the 1925-1926 season to be precise. Manchester United and Leeds United beat each other at home.

Sir Matt Busby vs Don Revie

The hottest rivalry between Manchester United and Leeds United occurred in the 60s. In that era, both teams were in their best performance.

Manchester United, who began to dominate English football with Sir Matt Busby since a decade earlier, faced equal resistance from Don Revie’s Leeds. Interestingly, the two coaches adopted different playing styles.

The Charlton brothers’ duel also spiced up the Roses Derby of this era. Bobby Charlton, who is the spearhead of Manchester United, has to face Jack who is guarding the Leeds defense.

Don revie is known for his hard play philosophy. Leeds was transformed into like a war machine in the field.

With this strategy, Leeds was able to shift the dominance of Manchester United. Various trophies were able to be presented by Revie from the mid-60s to the early 70s.

Leeds’s achievements slowly began to decline after Revie was appointed to handle the England national team in 1974. This made Manchester United take the wheel again like when they won back to back in 1978.

After the Busby vs Revie era, Manchester United had a better record at the Roses Derby, the Red Devils never lost to Leeds during the period September 1981 to 1994 even though The Whites won the league season 1991-1992.

The decline of Leeds United

In the 90s, the rivalry of Manchester United and Leeds United continued. The two teams still don’t want to lose to each other.

Sir Alex Ferguson slowly began to build a respected team by relying on the Class of 92 academy graduate. Manchester United was able to win four of the first five editions of the Premier League.

To match these rivals, Leeds brought in a number of star players with high prices and salaries. The strategy initially succeeded in making them able to compete at the top.

However, this strategy becomes a time bomb that can explode at any time. And that unwanted moment occurred in the 2002-2003 season when m