Leeds United host AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday. Liam Cooper and Lewis Cook were among those to start the last time a Whites XI beat the Cherries in 2015.
It was also the just the 13th and last time that the two sides met in any competition. A sole goal from Luke Murphy proved the difference at Elland Road as Neil Redfearn’s relegation-battling line-up put a dent in Eddie Howe’s bid to win the Championship title that season.
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Bournemouth travelled to West Yorkshire as the league leaders, while Leeds ranked in just 20th place. Yet despite being without a win in seven second-tier fixtures, the Whites edged a Cherries team that had lost one of their last 16 league matches going back to September.
Leeds’ win in January 2015 was not enough to stop Bournemouth from winning the title by a point to Watford. The Whites went on to end the campaign in 15th place with a 15-point margin to the drop zone. Now, they will meet in the Premier League for the first time ever.
Leeds set to host Bournemouth in their first-ever top-flight meeting on Saturday
Bournemouth travel to Leeds on Saturday for their first-ever top-flight meeting. They have previously met 13 times with the Whites winning on 10 occasions and drawing in two. The Cherries claimed their only win against the Elland Road natives 4-1 at home in March 2014.
Leeds’ last win against Bournemouth would only prove to be a hurdle in the Cherries’ title-winning Championship campaign. The south coast side would then spend five years in the top-flight before enduring relegation in the same season as the Whites secured promotion.
The wait for their next meeting could have continued, too, had Jesse Marsch not led Leeds to Premier League safety on the final day of last term. Bournemouth had already secured their return to the top-flight with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest to finish as runners-up.
Leeds will now host Bournemouth on Saturday with just a point separating the two teams. Marsch’s men trail interim Cherries coach Gary O’Neil’s squad but have a game in hand on the south coast side. Both teams have claimed three wins and suffered six defeats to date.
So, ahead of their first-ever Premier League meeting, HITC Football takes a look back at the last Leeds XI to beat Bournemouth and where Redfearn’s players are now seven years on…
Marco Silvestri (GK): Udinese star kept a clean sheet as Leeds last beat Bournemouth
Marco Silvestri kept one of his 23 clean sheets in 98 games at Leeds as the Whites last beat Bournemouth. He spent three years at the club after joining from Chievo Verona. The 31-year-old returned to Italy in 2017 with Hellas Verona before joining Udinese last summer.
Scott Wootton (RB): Former Whites star is now in Australia at Wellington Phoenix
Scott Wootton played for Leeds between 2013 and 2016 and made 74 appearances across all competitions. The 31-year-old has never featured for a single team more often than the Whites. He now plays for Wellington Phoenix after moving to the A-League side in January.
Giuseppe Bellusci (CB): The defender saw a straight red card in the closing stages
Ascoli signed Giuseppe Bellusci from Monza this July after an initial loan spell last term. He had spent three years at Monza following two seasons with Palermo upon returning to his native Italy from Leeds in 2017. The 33-year-old enjoyed 61 appearances with the Whites.
Leeds raided Catania for Bellusci in 2014 for his first move outside of Italy. But he proved to be very rash with 13 yellow cards in his first Championship campaign. He also earned a second straight red in the 86th minute of their 1-0 win over Bournemouth in January 2015.
Liam Cooper (CB): The Scot captained the last Leeds XI to beat Bournemouth
Cooper captained the Leeds XI that last beat Bournemouth seven years ago. Now, the Scot is the only surviving member of Redfearn’s line-up at Elland Road. The 31-year-old joined the Whites from Chesterfield in 2014 and has gone on to amass 253 appearances to date.
Charlie Taylor (LB): Former Whites star is now eying promotion with Burnley
Charlie Taylor left Leeds for the Premier League in 2017 when he joined Burnley. Now, the 29-year-old is eying promotion from the Championship with the Clarets after they endured relegation last term. The left-back left the Whites after amassing 104 senior appearances.
Rodolph Austin (CDM): Portmore United have re-signed their former star
Rodolph Austin moved home to Jamaica with his former team Portmore United in January. The 37-year-old defender left the club to move to Europe in 2008 with Norwegian outfit SK Brann. He went on to play for Leeds (2012-15), Brondby IF (‘15-17) and Esbjerg fB (‘17-21).
Luke Murphy (CDM): Scored the only goal as Leeds last beat Bournemouth
Murphy scored the only goal as Leeds last beat Bournemouth in their last meeting in 2015. The midfielder hit seven goals and six assists in 111 matches with the Whites from 2013 to 2018. He now plays with Macclesfield in the Northern Premier League Division One West.
Sam Byram (RM): The Leeds product is pushing for promotion with Norwich
Leeds product Sam Byram is now targeting promotion out of the Championship at Norwich City. The 29-year-old left West Ham United to join the Canaries in 2019 but has endured a nightmare with injuries since. He also only played 36 times with the Irons over three years.
Lewis Cook (CAM): Leeds product will aim to beat the Whites with Bournemouth
Cook helped Leeds secure their last win over Bournemouth but will aim to beat his former team this Saturday. The 25-year-old has remained an integral presence on the south coast since joining the Cherries from Leeds for £6m, up to £10m, in 2016 after 85 senior outings.
Alex Mowatt (LM): Middlesbrough have hired the ex-Whites star from West Brom
Middlesbrough have hired former Leeds star Alex Mowatt on loan from West Brom for the 2022/23 season. The 27-year-old only joined the Baggies last year from Barnsley following four seasons at Oakwell. The Whites product joined the Tykes in 2017 after 125 matches.
Steve Morison (ST): Cardiff sacked the former Leeds striker in September
Cardiff City sacked former Leeds striker Steve Morison in September. He had been the head coach of the Bluebirds since October after stepping up from the Welsh outfit’s U21s role. He also coached at youth level with Millwall and Northampton Town after retiring from playing.
Morison hung up his boots in 2019 following a short spell with Shrewsbury after four years at Millwall. The Lions re-signed the forward from Leeds in 2015 following a previous period on loan in 2013/14. He offered five goals and two assists in 42 games whilst at Elland Road.
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