Gruev fires first-half goals as Leeds stun Norwich to reach Wembley | Championship

Property experts believe Leeds is becoming an increasingly fashionable home for London’s pricey young professionals, but as compelling as their arguments are, the city lacks a vital magnet: a Premier League football team.

Or at least it is at the moment. If standouts Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto, Archie Gray and company play as smartly and incisively as he did in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Sunday week, that shortcoming will surely be remedied.

Having seen a stunned Norwich not so much defeated as utterly decimated, neither Southampton nor West Brom – who meet in the second semi-final on Friday night – will be relishing the prospect of facing Daniel Farke’s sudden step into -a final of at least pounds. 135m to the winner.

The Leeds manager twice led Norwich to promotion and had their measure here. “It was a great night for us,” said the German. “My young players have been brilliant but when Elland Road is roaring, this place is no match. It’s too early for praise and self-love, but we have a great chance to write another chapter in the history of this amazing club.”

Norwich manager David Wagner was less enthused. “It’s a low,” he admitted. “Leeds were very good but we were obviously very poor. Everything you shouldn’t do, we did. I was in second place in all the duels. We stopped. The fairy tale does not have a happy ending.”

The night ended with the Kaiser’s heads I predict an uprising out of Elland Road’s sound system, but started with anarchic defending, scuppering Norwich’s Premier League hopes.

They allowed Ilia Gruev’s seventh-minute free-kick to elude a thoroughly deceived Angus Gunn after Marcelino Núñez had flattened Joe Rodon and Leeds won the set-piece down the right and almost 30 yards out.

Almost everyone, including Gunn, expected Gruev to volley a cross into the box but, seeing the Norwich keeper move to the far post, the midfielder used his left foot to curl the ball low inside the near post.

Farke’s side had finished 17 points clear of Wagner’s side and, as if to underline that gap, Norwich had just 20 per cent of possession at times. They quickly got a second goal when a fabulous cross from Gnonto took Gunn off his line, leaving the keeper stranded, and the unmarked Joël Piroe was in just the right place at the right time to net Leeds Further.

It sparked a heated exchange between Wagner centre-halves Shane Duffy and Ben Gibson before, more positively, inspiring Norwich’s first and almost last attack. That surge ended with Illan Meslier making a superb save to deny Josh Sargent after the forward had fooled Ethan Ampadu.

Otherwise, Leeds were so dominant that the caution and promptness of last Sunday’s goalless first leg at Carrow Road became a fading memory. Norwich simply could not cope with the brilliance and invention of the one- and two-touch passes of Farke’s players, let alone the devastating change of pace in attack that Gnonto and Summerville delighted to display time and time again.

They fell further behind when Georginio Rutter struck the ball into the back of the net via the underside of the bar. The France striker has been struggling following a hernia operation in March but, returning to his impressive best here, reacted sharply when, despite falling, Summerville somehow managed to push the ball home.

This goal began with Norwich’s dissection of Piroe’s left-footed drive. Piroe, coming on for the injured Patrick Bamford, excelled in attack, tormenting Wagner’s defence.

Indeed, with the excellent Gray looking every inch a Premier League player at right-back, Leeds convinced on the pitch. Summerville deservedly scored the fourth, completing a move he started after Gunn parried Gnonto’s shot and Junior Firpo played the ball back into his path.

Leeds fans have long reveled in white scarves with blue and yellow trim atop their heads, but now they finally feel confident enough to alternate chants of “We’re going to Wembley” with “Marching on Together”.

Verbal and visual definitions of triumph are rarely more convincing.