Gruev sparks first-half goal rush as Leeds stun Norwich to reach Wembley

Property experts believe Leeds is becoming an increasingly fashionable home for bright young professionals priced out of London but, as compelling as their arguments are, the city lacks one vital magnet: a Premier League football team.

That, though, could be about to change. Certainly if the outstanding Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray and company play as intelligently and incisively as this in the Championship playoff final at Wembley on Sunday week that deficiency will surely be rectified.

After watching a stunned Norwich being not so much defeated as thoroughly decimated, neither Southampton nor West Brom – who meet in Friday night’s second semi-final – will relish the prospect of meeting Daniel Farke’s sharp passing, pace suffused side in a final with at least £135m to the team that reaches the Premier League.

The day began badly for Leeds when their 21-year-old centre-back Charlie Cresswell was left shaken after his £60,000 Land Rover Defender collided with a police car outside Elland Road as Farke’s squad reported to the ground at 10am.

It left the police Peugeot badly damaged and an officer from the West Yorkshire force requiring medical treatment but Cresswell recovered in time to take his regular seat on the bench.

A spot of somewhat more skilful manoeuvring from a dead ball brought a smile back to Cresswell’s face as he and his fellow substitutes leapt out of their seats to engulf Ilia Gruev after the central midfielder’s expertly taken free-kick evaded the reach of a thoroughly deceived Angus Gunn.

Only seven minutes had passed when Joe Rodon was flattened by Marcelino Núñez and Leeds were awarded that set play wide on the right and almost 30 yards out.

Virtually everybody in the ground, Gunn included, expected Gruev to float a cross into the box but, noticing that Norwich’s goalkeeper had moved to the far post, Gruev instead used his left foot to send the ball curving low just inside the near post.

Farke’s side had finished 17 points ahead of David Wagner’s team in the Championship and, as if to emphasise that point, Norwich had merely 20% of possession at times. They swiftly conceded a second goal when Wilfried Gnonto’s fabulous early cross drew Gunn off his line, leaving the visiting keeper stranded as Joël Piroe arrived in precisely the right place at the right time to head Leeds further in front.

It prompted a fierce exchange of views between Wagner’s centre halves, Shane Duffy and Ben Gibson, before, more positively, inspiring Norwich’s first real attack. That advance concluded with Illan Meslier making a tremendous sprawling save to deny Josh Sargent after the striker had tricked Ethan Ampadu and was left one-on-one against the home goalkeeper.

Otherwise, Leeds were so dominant that the caution and caginess of last Sunday’s goalless first leg at Carrow Road seemed an increasingly distant memory.

Norwich simply could not handle the slickness and invention of Farke’s players’ one-and two-touch passing, let alone the devastating change of attacking pace that Gnonto and Summerville delighted in repeatedly displaying.

The Canaries fell further behind when Georginio Rutter lashed the ball into the back of the net via the underside of the bar. The French forward has struggled lately following hernia surgery in March but he was back to his best here and reacted sharply when, despite falling over, Summerville somehow managed to prod the ball into his path.

That goal had begun with Norwich’s dissection in the face of Piroe’s left-wing advance. Piroe would almost certainly have been on the bench had Patrick Bamford not sustained a knee injury but, excelling in attack, he tormented Wagner’s defence.

With Gray looking every inch a Premier League player at right-back, Leeds convinced all over the pitch. Summerville deservedly scored their fourth, completing a move he had begun after Gunn could only parry Gnonto’s strike and Junior Firpo played the ball back into his path.

It was only then that the home fans felt sufficiently confident to chorus “We’re going to Wembley” as they twirled their blue and yellow trimmed white scarves above their heads. Verbal and visual definitions of triumph rarely come much better.