Sam Allardyce appointed Leeds boss after Javi Gracia sacked

Former England boss brought in as club sit in relegation zone after dire run of results

Sam Allardyce has been appointed as the new Leeds United manager. Reuters

Leeds United have sacked manager Javi Gracia and appointed former England boss Sam Allardyce to replace him for the rest of the season.

Spaniard Gracia was only in the job for two months. He was brought in until the end of the season to succeed the sacked Jesse Marsch in February. Director of football Victor Orta, who joined the club from Middlesbrough in 2017, has left by mutual consent.

"Leeds United can confirm Javi Gracia will leave the club, with our remaining four games overseen by experienced head coach Sam Allardyce," a statement released by the Yorkshire club on Wednesday said. "We thank Javi and his team for their efforts under difficult circumstances."

When Gracia took over, Leeds were in the Premier League relegation zone in 17th place. The former Watford boss won three of his first six games as Leeds climbed to 13th.

But after a poor run that included a 5-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace and a 6-1 mauling by Liverpool at Elland Road, they had slipped back into 17th spot.

Sunday's 4-1 defeat at Bournemouth meant that Gracia won just three of the 11 games he was in charge.

Leeds, who face Manchester City, have lost four of their last five games and face a tough run-in that includes home games against Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur and a trip to West Ham.

Allardyce, the former Bolton, West Ham and Everton manager, has been out of work since he left West Bromwich Albion when they were relegated from the Premier League in 2020/21.

The 68-year-old's short spell as England manager lasted just 67 days as he resigned after was caught up in a corruption scandal in a newspaper sting.

On the departure of director of football Orta, Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani said: "I am deeply saddened by the way that this chapter closes as Victor has been responsible for some of the best moments of my time as owner of Leeds United and I thank him and his people for all they have done in the past six years.

Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear said: "Victor's passion and energy to 'make Leeds great again' has been unmatched and we owe him a lot. Despite our current challenges he leaves a legacy in a revolutionised football operation and a pipeline of young talent that will perform for Leeds for many years to come. From a personal perspective he has been a great friend."

Leeds 1 Liverpool 6: player ratings

LEEDS UNITED PLAYER RATINGS: Illan Meslier – 2. A forgettable night for Meslier who picked the ball out of the net on six occasions, though much was down to a shocking defensive display. Reuters

Junior Firpo – 2. Firpo’s mistake was the crucial one as he failed to clear his lines with any conviction, allowing Alexander-Arnold to assist the opener. Struggled to cope with Salah, whom he left wide open in the second half when scoring his brace. PA

Pascal Struijk – 2. Looked to give up on tracking Salah for Liverpool’s second and lacked communication with Firpo on his side. PA

Robin Koch – 3. Started brightly by marking Gakpo tightly, but in the end was part of a torrid defensive display. Beaten too easily by Robertson on Salah’s brace. Reuters

Rasmus Kristensen – 3. Kept Jota quiet early on but eventually lost track of him. Played Nunez onside for Liverpool’s sixth goal of the game. Reuters

Marc Roca – 4. Seemed to get unnecessarily dragged out to wide areas where he delivered crosses that were easily dealt with. Reuters

Weston McKennie – 4. Sloppy in possession and provided little assurance after the opening goal. Had to do more to block off the areas around the penalty area, as seen with Jota’s unchallenged volley. AFP

Luis Sinisterra – 6. Looked to make things happen when on the ball and got his reward when tackling Konate in his own half before an excellent finish. Worryingly for Leeds fans, Sinisterra was later forced off with an injury. Getty

Brenden Aaronson – 5. Unlucky with an effort before the hour mark that was inches from finding the top corner, and always tried to get Leeds going in the right direction. Reuters

Jack Harrison – 4. Struggled to create anything meaningful with play that saw attacks break down when the ball got to him. Must be much more accurate with his passing. Reuters

Rodrigo – 4. Had a half-chance from a set piece but lacked conviction with his header. Anonymous in the second half. Reuters

SUBS: Crysencio Summerville (Rodrigo 66’) – 5. Scored the decisive goal in the previous fixture at Anfield, but there was no chance of heroics this time around. Always looked to play progressively despite having a lack of options at times. AP

Georginio Rutter (Aaronsen 66’) – 5. Rarely found himself in possession after being introduced for Aaronsen in the 66th minute. AFP

Wilfried Gnonto (Harrison 77’) – N/A. Did nothing when introduced as Liverpool continued to control the game. Reuters

Adam Forshaw (Sinisterra 77’) – N/A. Introduced in the 77th minute after Sinisterra went down after appearing to tweak something. PA

LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS: Alisson – 6. Commanded his area to claim the ball and positioned well to save from Rodrigo. Lost his cleansheet after a poor error from Konate allowed Sinisterra to chip past him. Getty

Andrew Robertson – 6. Pressed well and didn’t get beaten on his side, though his best moment of the match was his involvement for Salah’s brace when he breezed past Koch with an impressive first touch. Reuters

Virgil van Dijk – 7. Anticipated the danger instantly to track balls coming in behind and looked comfortable when winning his duels. AP

Ibrahima Konate – 5. - Impressive outside of one moment of madness that saw him too slow to react, failing to clear the danger amid pressure from Sinisterra. AFP

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7. Got Liverpool off and running after winning back possession before assisting the opener. Regularly found space in midfield to help transition the ball forward. AP

Fabinho – 6. Alert to developing situations and blocked off the central areas of the pitch well. Kept things simple with his passing. Reuters

Curtis Jones – 7. A third Premier League start in a row for Jones who capped it off with a superb pass to Jota for Liverpool’s third. A solid display from midfield where he took good care of the ball. PA

Jordan Henderson – 7. Slow to get going but benefitted when spaces began to open. Worked hard to win the midfield battle and keep Liverpool on the front foot. Reuters

Diogo Jota – 8. A wasteful 30 minutes from Jota saw him not wake up until late on in the first half, winning back possession before putting the ball perfectly on Salah’s left-foot to finish with class. Then helped himself to two goals in the second half. Getty

Cody Gakpo – 8. Showing signs of progress in the false nine role, where he linked play elegantly on the front line. Rarely gave away possession and was patient with his decision-making. Opened the scoring and picked up an assist after finding Salah for his brace. Getty

Mohamed Salah – 8. The Egypt international was in clinical form at Elland Road, with two finishes that came from the top drawer. That is the sort of lethality that the Reds need him to show if they are to make the top four. EPA

SUBS: James Milner (Henderson 81’) – N/A. Back at the club where he made his professional debut. PA

Darwin Nunez (Gakpo 81’) – 7. Put the icing on the cake with a well-timed run and finish past Meslier. EPA

Luis Diaz (Gakpo 81’) – N/A. Back after a long time out through injury, and much appreciated by the Liverpool fans in the away end. EPA

Roberto Firmino (Jota 82’) – N/A. Came on for Jota in the 82nd minute. EPA

Thiago Alcantara (Fabinho 85’) – N/A. More beneficial minutes for Thiago who has just returned from injury. Getty