Leeds’ latest celebrity investor Will Ferrell watches on at Elland Road but Whites lack Hollywood magic as they lose 1-0 to promotion rivals Burnley
As ‘Marching On Together’ was belted out pre-march around Elland Road, Will Ferrell afforded himself a cheeky grin and panned his phone around to record this famous old ground.
For Ferrell, an avid sports fan and the latest celebrity investor in Leeds United through the 49ers Enterprises, this Saturday lunchtime rendition of the Leeds anthem got the juices flowing.
‘I’m loving it – it’s everything that I was told it would be and we haven’t even started the match yet,’ he said, on his first visit to Leeds since becoming a stakeholder in the club.
Yet by the end of the afternoon, it was a game to forget as Leeds were given a reminder of just how unforgiving the Championship can be by a Burnley side that executed a tactical masterclass under Scott Parker and showed exactly why many expect them to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Daniel Farke’s side dominated possession with 72 per cent but were wasteful in front of goal and Manor Solomon’s mistake was ruthlessly punished by Luca Koleosho before Burnley held on to inflict a first league defeat of the season on Leeds.
‘It’s the most frustrating thing in football when you go back to the dressing room and you can hardly explain how you lost the game,’ Farke bemoaned after.
Will Ferrell was in attendance as Leeds United fell to a 1-0 home defeat by Burnley
The actor – also a co-owner of LA FC – bought a stake in the Yorkshrie club back in May
Luca Koleosho grabbed the only goal of the game as Burnley continued their strong start
‘It’s a massive three points for us,’ said Parker. ‘This is a tough place to come and the foundation of this result was everything we need to stand for as a team – the grit, the determination and the battling spirit. We showed every bit of that and that’s why we got three points,’ Parker added.
Pre-match, the ground paid tribute to former Leeds captain Sol Bamba, who tragically died last month aged 39 and Leeds should have taken the lead in the first minute when Mateo Joseph robbed Maxime Esteve and had the freedom of Elland Road but with only James Trafford to beat, Joseph fired wide.
‘I’ll probably have my shirt off in the first five minutes,’ admitted Ferrell in his pre-match interview, but it wasn’t meant to be.
And Leeds were made to pay in the 18th minute when Solomon slipped and Koleosho showed the composure that Joseph lacked with a superb 70-yard run followed by a perfect finish as Leeds conceded their first goal in the Championship since the opening day of the season.
The home side responded with Willy Gnonto firing straight at Trafford when he was through on goal and when Joe Worrall came in from behind to tackle Solomon in the box, a penalty looked certain.
Yet much to the dismay of the home crowd, referee James Bell felt that Worrall had got the ball cleanly.
Tributes were paid to former Leeds captain Sol Bamba ahead of kick-off at Elland Road
‘We should have had a penalty, there’s no doubt about it,’ Farke complained after.
Ethan Ampadu forced a brilliant save from Trafford after the break and Farke used all five of his substitutions as he hunted an equaliser but there was no Spirited fightback and it was ultimately Burnley – also part-owned by celebrity Americans in former NFL star JJ Watt and his wife Kealia – who had the last laugh, despite a red card for Bashir Humphreys who picked up a second booking in injury time.
