Anton Stach scored the pick of the goals for Leeds United as he slammed home a free-kick in the 3-1 win over Wolves in the Premier League.
Although Leeds have enjoyed a solid start to the Premier League season, the win against Everton had felt like a long time ago heading into the trip to Molineux.
However, the brilliant strike from Stach helped lift the gathering gloom at Elland Road, as Leeds moved level with the points total Marcelo Bielsa managed after five games in the 2020/21 season.
Stach became the first Premier League player to score their first goal from a direct free-kick since Kalvin Phillips in 2021. He also became the first Leeds player to score a free-kick away from home in the top flight since 2003.
With Leeds fans locked in debate over their dream free-kick taker, here are five of the best free-kicks by Leeds players in the Premier League, inspired by Stach’s wonder-strike.
5. Gary Kelly – West Ham 0-2 Leeds United
This selection is inspired as much by the taker as anything else, as Gary Kelly scored a rare goal for the Whites in a 2-0 win over West Ham.
Kelly rarely scored for Leeds, managing just seven goals in his 531 appearances in all competitions, but when he did score, they tended to be spectacular.
His goal against West Ham in 1997 is a perfect example of this. Stepping up from 25 yards out, Kelly picked out the top corner of the Hammers’ net with a curling, right-footed effort.
Everything about this goal is aesthetically pleasing, from the shallow net to Ludek Miklosko’s ungraceful attempt to claw the ball out, to the sound the ball makes as it clips the crossbar. This is football from another time and is well worthy of a place on the list.
4. Raphinha – Leeds 3-0 Southampton
Unlike Kelly, Raphinha was a prolific scorer for Leeds in his two seasons at the club, and the Ballon d’Or nominee caught the eye with the range of goals he scored.
His free-kick in a 3-0 win over Southampton in 2021 perfectly showcased his technical brilliance as the Whites stormed to a top-half finish in their first Premier League season for 16 years.
Raphinha added the cherry on the cake after goals from Patrick Bamford and Stuart Dallas put Leeds into a dominant position.
Lining up a strike from range, the Brazilian star sent a fizzing, dipping shot across goal into the bottom corner to cap a vintage display from the Bielsa era.
3. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink – Leeds 3-1 West Ham
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was deadly from free-kicks, and he scored some spectacular strikes during his time with Leeds.
His goal in the 3-1 win over West Ham in the 1997/98 season is a classic of the genre, although technically not from a direct free kick.
Leeds won a free-kick around 25 yards from goal, and Alfe Inge Haaland, Lee Bowyer and Hasselbaink all stood over the ball. Haaland laid the ball off to Bowyer, who stopped it dead for Hasselbaink to strike.
Hasselbaink connected perfectly, and the ball appeared to be going wide of the goalkeeper’s left-hand post before looping back in and nestling in the bottom corner.
Leeds’ Dutch hero celebrated with a trademark cartwheel, and Leeds were on their way to a comfortable home win.
2. Gary McAllister – Oldham 1-1 Leeds
Speaking of football from another time, Gary McAllister’s picture-perfect free-kick at Boundary Park is a classic from the early days of the Premier League.
Leeds made the short trip across the Pennines to Boundary Park to face Oldham Athletic in February 1994, where they were met with wintry conditions.
Leeds and Oldham played out a 1-1 draw on a boggy pitch, as Howard Wilkinson sported an eye-catching flat cap on the bench, and McAllister’s goal was the highlight of the game.
There is nothing better than a shot that hits the stanchion, and McAllister picked out the top corner perfectly, flicking the ball out of the mud with pinpoint accuracy. They don’t make them like that any more.
1. Ian Harte – Leeds United 3-4 Manchester United
There is a full catalogue of free-kicks by Ian Harte to choose from in the Premier League era, as he dominated dead balls for Leeds during his time at the club.
In truth, this free-kick isn’t the most memorable, which is most likely the one away at Arsenal in 2003. Nor is it the most significant. However, technically, it is almost perfect.
Leeds threatened to pull off a dramatic comeback against Manchester United in 2002 after slipping to a 4-1 deficit at Elland Road, and Harte’s goal kicked them into life.
Lining up a strike from nearly 30 yards out, Harte took a long run up and struck the ball perfectly, sending it arching past a despairing Fabian Barthez into the top corner.
Speaking on commentary after the ball hit the net, Martin Tyler described Harte as being in David Beckham’s class from dead-balls, and this is a perfect example of his craft. Every Leeds fan from this era will have their personal favourite Harte free-kick; however, this is up there with the very best.
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