Football League World
·04 de novembro de 2024
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·04 de novembro de 2024
FLW compare Elland Road's attendance against Plymouth to the rest of the Championship.
Leeds United put Plymouth Argyle to the sword as Daniel Farke's side ran out as 3-0 winners at Elland Road in front of 36,066 fans in attendance.
The Whites comfortably saw off a struggling Pilgrims outfit, solidifying their position in second place in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.
Wayne Rooney had opted for something of a 6-3-1 formation out of possession, with Plymouth restricting Leeds in the opening half-an-hour initially.
Joel Piroe then hit the base of Daniel Grimshaw's post but was deemed offside and Ao Tanaka forced a decent save, with Leeds controlling the opening stages and putting the game to bed with a flurry of three goals in seven minutes before half-time.
Dan James opened the scoring with a powerful strike into the top corner from the edge of the area, followed shortly by Piroe doubling the lead just two minutes later after Plymouth failed to clear a James cross and Tanaka shot, despite multiple attempts. Farke's striker reacted well in the six-yard box to the loose ball and converted.
Brenden Aaronson then calmly slotted home the third after the ball came loose in the box to complete a commanding first-half performance. Piroe's back-heel was blocked but fell kindly into the path of Aaronson, with the USMNT international sweeping under Grimshaw to secure a fourth straight home win for Daniel Farke's side.
Plymouth stemmed the tide after half-time but the game was won, to send the Elland Road faithful home happy. Speaking of the crowd, just how did it compare to other Championship attendances this weekend? We take a look, here.
Leeds are one of the biggest clubs outside of the Premier League, commercially, historically, and in terms of the size of their fanbase.
They may be more renowned for their away followings in English football and have, arguably, one of the most vocal fanbases in the country, but their home crowds have been excellent for some time now.
United have now been back in the second tier for two seasons, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2023, but are among the sides with the most tickets sold every week, both home and away.
Elland Road is the 15th largest football stadium in English football and has a capacity of 37,068, with only Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday able to boast larger stadiums in the second tier.
Per Transfermarkt, Leeds have the second-highest attendance so far in the league, with Sunderland the only team ahead of them at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland have averaged 40,059, whilst Leeds are near their capacity with 36,475 at Elland Road so far.
No other club has averaged higher than 30,000, with the likes of Derby County and Sheffield United the closest to Leeds at around the 30,000 mark, but not quite reaching it.
Leeds' attendances dwarf many teams on a weekly basis. Whilst last season, Elland Road was a fortress and one of the toughest places to go in the Championship all season, meaning Leeds fans have absolutely received value for money in this period.
It has been regularly full to the rafters in recent seasons, and close to capacity now for the best part of six years in the Championship and Premier League.
Despite relegation from the Premier League last year, Leeds fans have not been deterred from supporting the side, as they have over 20,000 supporters on a season ticket waiting list and have had to reverse a planned increase in price following that recent demotion.
They sold out in almost every league fixture last season, and demand has been such that the Leeds hierarchy believe they can sustain crowds of over 50,000 regularly in English football's top flight.
They have recently revealed their plans to move the stadium's capacity up from 37,645 to near to 53,000.
Leeds' 2024/25 average so far is 36,274 and at close to capacity, with 36,066 seeing the 3-0 win on Saturday by far the most in the second tier during the 13th matchday of the season.
Middlesbrough's 24,921, Sheffield Wednesday's 25,693, and Stoke City's 24,511 were the closest figures to Leeds' crowd against Wayne Rooney and co. That figure includes 1,379 Plymouth fans making the long journey up to West Yorkshire. Sheffield United took 3,653 to Blackburn, where there were 16,810 present at Ewood Park.
There were fewer than 12,000 people watching Luton Town draw 1-1 with West Brom, and in Oxford United's home defeat to Swansea City. Meanwhile, Cardiff City and Hull City's games had around 20,000 in attendance, with 14,261 at Deepdale for Preston North End against Bristol City.