Derby County claim made on infamous Leeds United incident - "We definitely rattled Bielsa" | OneFootball

Football League World's resident Derby County recounts the infamous 'spygate' incident with Leeds United, and the play-off semi final epic it preceded

The 2018/19 EFL Championship campaign remains a notable high point in Derby County's recent history, even if it was ultimately marked by heartbreak as the Rams fell to defeat in that season's play-off final to Aston Villa.

Derby had flirted with a long-awaited promotion back to the Premier League, recording top-six finishes in three of the five preceding campaigns before making it all the way to Wembley for the second occasion inside five years under Frank Lampard.

However, akin to 2014 — in which their dreams of a return to the promised land were dashed by QPR and Bobby Zamora — it would all end in heartache on Wembley Way once again, with the Rams losing out 2-1 to Aston Villa.

It was, however, a rollercoaster of a campaign, which saw Derby ruffle no shortage of feathers and enjoy a memorable season with Lampard at the helm. The now-Coventry City boss' team was spurred on by a number of exciting loanees who have since, unsurprisingly off the Pride Park evidence, gone on to enjoy impressive careers, namely then-Chelsea pair Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori and, perhaps the pick of the bunch, Welsh playmaker Harry Wilson.

Accompanied by more experienced, seasoned campaigners such as Craig Bryson, Tom Lawrence, Jack Marriott and Martyn Waghorn, Derby were always going to be competitive with a squad of that make-up - and Leeds United knew it.

The Whites, then under the stewardship of the equally-iconic and enigmatic Marcelo Bielsa in the Argentine's first-ever season managing in England, would finish nine points above Derby but squandered automatic promotion to the Premier League, setting up what many believe to be one of the most dramatic evenings of football in second-tier history against a backdrop of chaos.

Derby County "definitely rattled" Marcelo Bielsa in unforgettable Leeds United 'spygate' drama

Ahead of Derby's crunch fixture against Leeds on January 11, unprecedented drama erupted when it emerged that Bielsa had sent somebody to spy on the Rams' training session. Bielsa's spy was promptly escorted away by police, and the practice was widely condemned, but that didn't prevent Leeds from snatching a 2-0 victory on the day — with the Whites' extracurricular efforts clearly paying dividends.

However, it only added fuel to the flames. Bielsa admitted to observing every single Championship opponent in training in a sensational press conference afterwards and Leeds would receive a £200,000 fine from the English Football League (EFL) for their troubles, and the stage was set for an epic play-off semi-final between the two sides come May.

By this stage, of course, little love was there to be lost, and while Leeds would triumph in the first leg at Pride Park, Derby would get the last laugh. It was, in the truest sense, an Elland Road epic.

After 24 minutes, admittedly, it had looked like Leeds would be heading to Wembley when Stuart Dallas' goal handed them a 2-0 lead on aggregate.

However, Derby would blitz Bielsa's side with three goals in the space of just 13 minutes — either side of the interval — from Marriott, Mount and Wilson. Dallas soon restored parity with his second strike of the evening, but Marriott's 85th-minute effort booked Derby's place in the play-off final at Leeds' expense, ensuing bedlam among the traveling players and supporters in West Yorkshire.

It was a night which has gone down in history, and Football League World's resident Derby fan pundit, Shaun Woodward, hasn't forgotten about what unfolded in a hurry.

When asked whether the incident still surprises him to this day, Shaun labelled it "very bizarre", but noted that Derby had "definitely rattled Bielsa" due to the efforts that were undertaken to spy on Lampard's side.

In Shaun's view, Derby got the last laugh, too. He does concede that Leeds may actually have laughed last in theory, winning the league title the following year, but in that moment, the glory belonged to Derby and they will never forget getting one back over the Whites in the most dramatic fashion.

"Yeah, the spygate incident was very bizarre," Shaun told FLW.

"It showed that we definitely rattled Bielsa, which is strange because, at the time, Leeds had one over us. They beat us three times the season that we actually got to Wembley.

"But it's bizarre because they obviously felt that there was a threat there from us, hence why he was trying to do the underhand tactic of spying on us and working out our tactics, which he said was a common thing in other countries he'd worked in.

"But it clearly isn't a thing that takes place in this country, so it came out as a bit of a shock at the time and there was quite a big thing made of it. But, ultimately, we had the last laugh by beating them at Elland Road and going to Wembley, albeit we didn't get promoted and they got promoted a season later.

"So technically, they had the last laugh overall, but we'll always have those memories of Elland Road, which were sensational and it was one of the best nights I can ever remember as a Derby fan.

"So yeah, very strange times. That season was certainly a rollercoaster for everyone."

Derby County and Leeds United have had different trajectories since spygate drama

Reaching that season's play-off final was as good as it got for Derby, who would whittle away and ultimately ended up falling into administration under now-ex-owner Mel Morris before suffering a fatal 21-point deduction against the backdrop of financial ruin at Pride Park and, consequently, dropping into League One, this time managed by another former England and Premier League superstar in Wayne Rooney.

Derby returned to the Championship at the second attempt by winning automatic promotion in 2024, and narrowly survived under John Eustace last season. This term, following significant summer squad upheaval, expectations will be higher — although few would claim that Derby are going to get close to competing in a play-off final anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Leeds won the title a year later and, remarkably, finished ninth in their first season back in the Premier League. However, they only dodged the drop by three points the following campaign, Bielsa left, and they returned to the second-tier in 2023.

The Whites suffered play-off heartbreak of their own by losing out to Southampton, but recovered well to win the division with 100 points last term and are now back in the Premier League, where they will be looking to stave off relegation under Daniel Farke.