Leeds hammer Norwich to reach play-off final
Leeds United will play Southampton or West Bromwich Albion in the Championship play-off final after a thumping win over an outclassed Norwich.
After a drab stalemate in the first leg on Sunday, the home side, who finished three places and 17 points above the Canaries, took a deserved early lead when Ilia Gruev’s long-range free-kick beat Angus Gunn at his near post.
Joel Piroe made it 2-0 when he headed in Willy Gnonto’s deep cross to the far post, with keeper Gunn caught in no man’s land, to leave the away side with a mountain to climb.
They should have pulled one back immediately but Josh Sargent was thwarted by keeper Illan Meslier one-on-one in what proved to be the only chance of note Norwich had all night.
It was 3-0 before the break when Georginio Rutter crashed a shot in off the underside of the bar after a breakaway attack.
Crysencio Summerville tapped home a fourth for the dominant home side after the interval after Gunn had parried a Gnonto shot out to Junior Firpo, who squared for the Dutchman to roll home.
The Whites will now have nine days to prepare for the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday, 26 May as they look to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.
Leeds look to make it sixth time lucky
There had been next to no indication of what would be to come here at Elland Road after an uneventful goalless draw in Norfolk on Sunday, which made it one win in seven for Leeds, who tailed off badly at the end of the regular season.
However, backed by a vociferous home support, Leeds set about their opponents right from the get-go, with Summerville curling a shot over inside two minutes after a nice link-up with Rutter.
It was 1-0 shortly after as Gruev’s free-kick, given for a foul on the marauding Joe Rodon, deceived Scotland international Gunn, who had been expecting a cross.
That ramped the noise up further and Norwich never recovered.
Piroe headed in the second, from a beautiful hanging cross from Gnonto, and again the Canaries’ defending was poor.
They could and should have hit straight back but Sargent, half-fit and replaced at half-time, tried to chip Meslier and saw his shot swatted away.
Rutter made it 3-0 – and then could have made four before half-time only for a desperate challenge to deny him from close range.
Gunn made good saves from Piroe and Summerville at the start of the second period but another Leeds goal seemed inevitable and it was perhaps fitting that it was Championship player of the year Summerville who got it.
Leeds’ former Norwich boss Daniel Farke was then able to take off Gnonto, Piroe, Summerville and Rutter to keep them fresh for the final.
Leeds have never won promotion via the play-offs in five attempts but, in this scintillating form, they will fancy their chances of ending that hoodoo in 10 days’ time.
A game too far for Canaries
Norwich boss David Wagner had said his side had reached their initial objective in securing a play-off spot.
They gave a decent account of themselves in front of their own fans, but were blown away in West Yorkshire in what was a 54th match of the season for both teams.
Wagner won promotion through the play-offs with Huddersfield in 2017, conceding one goal across three matches.
Any hopes of keeping this game similarly tight were dashed after seven minutes.
Norwich made the play-offs after improving following a poor start to the season.
A 3-1 home defeat by Blackburn on 5 November left them 17th in the league and Wagner’s future looking uncertain.
That proved to be their final home defeat of the season as they turned things around superbly in the second half of the campaign to clinch sixth on the final day.
This was their third play-off campaign and they had made the final in each of the previous two.
It was not to be three from three though and now, for the first time since 2009-10, they will play a division below their bitter rivals Ipswich, who have secured successive promotions to reach the Premier League.
