Kalvin Phillips provided Leeds United with several memorable moments during his long spell with the club. The 26-year-old has lived ever boyhood Leeds fans’ dream – progressing through the ranks of the academy, before helping the club regain and retain their Premier League status.
To some extent, though, Leeds have been a victim of Phillips’ incredible success at both club and international level in the last four years as he put pen to paper on a six-year deal at Manchester City on Monday morning. Phillips will now get the opportunity to compete for trophies on all fronts and play alongside some of the world’s best players on a weekly basis.
But Phillips has earned this sort of move and he leaves with all supporters’ best wishes as he looks to progress his career to the top level. So, with all that in mind, here is a look at five of Phillips’ most iconic moments from his time as a Leeds player.
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Goal v Birmingham City (centenary match)
In Leeds’ centenary game, they hosted Birmingham City at Elland Road as the club put on a huge show at Elland Road. The 90 minutes itself was a tight affair, but it was fitting that Phillips was the man who decided it.
Phillips – a boyhood Leeds fan – was able to ensure that it wasn’t just a day to remember off the pitch, but on it too. He was able to latch onto a little through ball by Jack Harrison and power home under the body of Lee Camp to earn a crucial 1-0 win.
Goal v Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers away was undoubtedly seen as one of the banana skin matches in Leeds’ promotion run-in following the resumption of the season after the Covid shutdown. But the Whites moved quickly to ensure that was not the case as they took a first half 2-0 lead.
Phillips was always a free-kick specialist in his days in the academy but only occasionally showed it in the first team, but the win at Ewood Park was the perfect time to do so. His strike from 25-yards out perfectly found the top corner and put Leeds in a very dominant position for a crucial win on their way to promotion.
Promotion night
Probably the most iconic moment of Phillips’ time at Leeds was his involvement in the promotion celebrations. His long embrace with Marcelo Bielsa was the first public sign of a more personal relationship between the pair after everything the Argentine did for him as a player.
That 30 second video of the duo hugging inside Elland Road is one of the most memorable from Bielsa’s reign. Phillips was also the orchestra for a number of chants on the steps outside the stadium as thousands of supporters congregated to celebrate the Premier League return.
Goal v WBA
Though goals were certainly not his speciality during his best days at Leeds, he certainly saved them for some of the best occasions. Leeds had played all 18 home games back in the Premier League without supporters until the visit of West Brom on the final day.
8000 Whites fans flocked to Elland Road to celebrate a superb first campaign back in the top-flight, and of course Phillips had to get involved. He found the net with another free-kick to help Leeds on their way to a 3-1 win.
England
And you cannot mention Phillips’ time at Leeds without his superb exploits with England on the international stage, which did not look possible to anyone this time four years ago. Phillips has proudly flown the Leeds flag in the squad of the Three Lions and has represented the club impeccably since his debut nearly two years ago.
Not only was he the first Leeds player since Jack Charlton to play for England in a final, but he was also voted as the country’s 2021 player of the year. He has become a staple of Gareth Southgate’s first XI and long may that continue now he is at City.
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