Goals from Brenden Aaronson and Dan James secured a comfortable victory for Leeds United over Sheffield Wednesday in the Yorkshire derby at Hillsborough.
Aaronson opened the scoring for Daniel Farke’s side with his second goal in three Championship matches this season.
James then sealed Leeds’ first league win of the campaign with a composed finish three minutes into the second half.
It was another tough loss for Wednesday, who had started the season with a 4-0 win over Plymouth but were then defeated by the same scoreline at Sunderland on Sunday and were comprehensively beaten again just five days later.
As in their match against Sunderland, Wednesday struggled defensively, especially when trying to play the ball out from the back.
Leeds, on the other hand, showed no such issues and took the lead after a brilliant first-half move that started with Jayden Bogle playing the ball down the right.
James flicked it on to Aaronson, who found Junior Firpo. Firpo then set up Mateo Joseph, but although Owls defender Yan Valery managed to block him, the loose ball fell to Aaronson, who calmly slotted it past keeper James Beadle.
Leeds continued to press and nearly doubled their lead before halftime when James narrowly missed connecting with a low cross from Firpo.
They did extend their lead shortly after the restart with another quick move from back to front. This time, Joseph played a perfect ball to James, who darted in behind full-back Max Lowe and finished with composure.
Joseph, who was impressive throughout, missed a chance to add a third when he blasted over after being set up by Bogle.
Sheffield Wednesday struggled to create clear-cut chances and never looked likely to stage a comeback. Beadle made saves to deny Joseph and James, but Leeds remained in control.
Leeds will face another Yorkshire derby next Saturday at home against Hull City, while Wednesday will travel to Millwall.
Aaronson’s redemption continues
Brenden Aaronson’s strong start to the season is helping to mend his relationship with Leeds United fans, who were initially lukewarm about his return.
The United States international, who was a big-money signing from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2022, had a promising start at Leeds but struggled during a disastrous season that ended in the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
His decision to join German side Union Berlin on a season-long loan rather than stay and fight to help Leeds return to the top flight did not sit well with the Elland Road faithful.
However, Aaronson seems determined to win back their support. He put in a tireless performance in the 3-3 draw with Portsmouth on the opening day of the season, where his stoppage-time equalizer secured a vital point.
His goal and overall display at Hillsborough further signaled his intent and marked another significant step toward redemption. This time, Aaronson could play a key role in Leeds’ bid for promotion back to the Premier League.
‘Put it in your album’ – post-match reaction
Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl told BBC Radio Sheffield:
“It was not the best defending. Some decisions were not right.
“You see the quality Leeds have. They have some really good players and it was hard to defend (against).
“To take something against such a team you have to make sure that all things are right – and we didn’t.
“This is not about individual mistakes. As a team-mate you have to take responsibility to cover the back of your team-mate and then nothing happens. We didn’t.
“We’ve now played against two strong teams and did not do well. Now we have to learn. We have to start again and come back to the basics. Our job now is to stay together as a team.”
Leeds manager Daniel Farke told BBC Radio Leeds:
“It was definitely our best performance of the season – the perfect away performance.
“More or less from the start we were able to dominate this game. We were brave and dominant.
“The goals we scored were fantastic. The first goal, you can put it in your album for best practice in possession football from the build-up to the finish.
“I’m pretty happy for the boys because they made the next step forward. There’s still much work to do, but under these circumstances, for this stage of the season, it was a mature performance and they definitely do deserve some compliments.
“We definitely need a few additions, but I’m pleased for the lads.”