Leeds United supporters will have regret about major Stuart Dallas moment: View | OneFootball

Stuart Dallas was sadly forced to call time on his Leeds United playing career this past week, following a femoral fracture suffered in an April 2022 fixture against Manchester City that he has been unable to sufficiently recover from in order to make a return.

Even though the injury sustained in the tackle was to his lower leg, other damage to his knee ended up being irreperable, leaving the Northern Irishman to announce his farewell from the game.

The news provoked many to relive some of the highlights of an almost nine-year-long career at Elland Road and one that sticks out is his exploits in that same fixture a year prior.

It is tinged with an element of regret, having come at a time when fans were not allowed into stadiums, but it will be remembered as a key moment in a legendary career.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, April 2021 was a time that had witnessed the return of competitive sport following its curtailing towards the end of the previous season.

The world had adjusted to viewing their team from afar, with supporters still unable to access stadiums to watch football in person, but the most special moments felt as though they were lacking that final touch during this period.

Dallas, often a tireless full-back on the right flank of the defensive unit, was operating from midfield on this day. He was no stranger to the odd goal, but notching two in one game was a rarity. Doing so against a team that had lifted the Premier League trophy in two of the last three seasons was even rarer.

But that's exactly what he managed when his team travelled to an empty Etihad Stadium.

He hit a low driven shot just before the interval from outside the box which cannoned in off the post to send the Whites ahead.

The game took an ominous turn when teammate and captain Liam Cooper was dismissed for a high challenge on Gabriel Jesus, and a comeback looked inevitable for the Blues when Ferran Torres equalised midway through the second half.

Dallas had other ideas, however, when in stoppage time he stormed through the centre of the hosts' defence and squeezed the ball underneath Ederson to take all three points.

It was a famous victory, secured in the most dramatic fashion. The only downside, and a regret for the Leeds faithful, is that none of them were there to celebrate the victory with him.

Stuart Dallas was vital for Leeds United in 2020-21

The former Northern Ireland international was key to everything Leeds did under Marco Bielsa at that time and proved particularly effective during the 2020/21 season.

He played almost every minute of every Premier League game throughout that campaign, save for nine minutes at the end of Leicester City's visit to Elland Road.

In those games, he managed eight goals and provided a further two assists, but most notably played in a number of different positions from week to week. His adaptability was key among the factors that led Leeds to a ninth-placed finish, their highest ranking in over 20 years.

City lost just four times at home that season, before going on to lift the Premier League, but they were no match when Dallas was in town.

Stuart Dallas will go down as a Leeds United legend

His brace to earn Leeds the win over the eventual league champions on their own turf was just one of numerous highlights.

Although Whites fans will feel regretful that they didn't get to share this moment with Dallas, they will have plenty of others to look back on fondly when reminiscing about a long and successful Elland Road career.

His playing career has reached its final chapter, but Leeds say that they are in discussions with Dallas about a future role within the club, so his Elland Road story is perhaps not over just yet.

Leeds fans will regret being prevented from experiencing this key moment live, but it will not dampen their memories of one of the club's recent heroes.