Former Union player Aaronson starts long-awaited Leeds treble

Sliding to his knees after his opening goal: Brendan Aaronson.
IMAGO/All Second Media

August 10, 2024: Daniel Farke brings Aaronson onto the pitch with about a quarter of an hour to go in the first round of the Championship with the score at 2-2 against Portsmouth. Rather than being cheered by the Leeds manager’s attacking response, the fans at Elland Road acknowledge the change with boos. The reason: Aaronson’s loan spell at Union Berlin has come to an end. Peacocks fans will not forget that he briefly left the club after relegation.

But after the 3-3 draw in stoppage time, the fans briefly held back their anger. And since the attacking player missed the winning goal while he was still completely alone, he remained the “bogeyman”.

Aaronson follows

However, that image is unlikely to last much longer. Aaronson was crowned one of the heroes of the Yorkshire derby at Hillsborough just 13 days later. After Joseph was fouled by Yan Valery in the opposition penalty area, the 23-year-old seized the free-kick and scored with two touches to take the lead (24).

The Peacocks remained the more dangerous side and increased their lead after the restart. Joseph sent James into his path, who lifted the ball one-on-one with Beadle over the keeper who was lying on the ground (min 48).

This was definitely the best performance of the season.

The goal was a relief for Leeds after a disappointing start to the season – two league draws and a League Cup exit to Middlesbrough – and it was also reflected in the celebrations. Ultimately, it was also the end result as the Owls hardly threatened as the game progressed.

Farke celebrated the freedom he had been craving in the German training duel with Danny Roll. “It was definitely the best performance of the season,” said the 47-year-old. “The goals we scored were fantastic and could be included in an album. Overall, it was a very dominant performance that ensured they rarely had the ball.”