Man Utd and Leeds' Christmas Eve record as Klopp groans look pale in comparison

It was the night before Christmas 1995, Earth Song by Michael Jackson was sitting pretty at the top of the charts while Beanie Babies were the must-have stocking filler but, unbeknownst to them at the time, Leeds United and Manchester United were about to make some festive history of their own.

The two clubs and long-term arch rivals did battle at a freezing cold Elland Road as Howard Wilkinson's Leeds side aimed to derail United's title tilt on what was to be the only ever Premier League game to take place on Christmas Eve.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men were vying with NewcastleUnited in what would go on to be one of the most thrilling title races in English football history.

Coming into the contest, the Red Devils boasted 35 points - a stellar tally to have by that time of the season. But Kevin Keegan's Magpies enjoyed a healthy 10 point advantage.

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Newcastle watched on eagerly as Leeds handed them the best Christmas present Keegan's side could have wished for - a 3-1 win over United.

Gary McAllister's seventh minute penalty sent the hosts on their way, before Andrew Cole levelled things to restore some festive cheer in the away end.

It was not to last long, however, as strikes from Tony Yeboah and Brian Deane handed Leeds a memorable victory that left United 10 points adrift of Newcastle in the last clash before Christmas - surely those over at St. James' Park couldn't blow such a healthy advantage?

Of course, they did. And in spectacular fashion. Keegan's memorable 'I would love it' rant would go on to be parodied and ridiculed for more decades to come. But that came long after Christmas.

The term 'hectic fixture period' has become engrained in modern football jargon, coined by just about every top-flight manager under the immense pressure of a title tilt or relegation dog-fight.

Jurgen Klopp is the most frequent and most vocal in his opposition of the same festive fixture list that so many fans up and down the country have grown up viewing as tradition.

The Liverpool manager has long been an advocate of a winter break, taking lead from a number of other major European leads who pause action for Christmas.

A 'winter break' was sanctioned during the 2019-2020 season, but scrapped the campaign after due to fixture congestion caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

It will take place this year, scheduled for January 23 through to February 7, 2022.

While the Bundesliga and La Liga pause over the festive period and allow players to enjoy the holidays with their families, football and Christmas go hand in hand in England.

Though the clash between Leeds and United was the only contest of the Premier League era to take place on Christmas Eve.

Until 1957, there was a full programme of Football League fixtures on Christmas Day, before the reverse fixtures would then take place on Boxing Day.

This only stopped due to transport systems refusing to ferry fans all over the country, leading to a huge decline in Christmas Day attendances before the ties were scrapped altogether.

While the Premier League claim to try and ensure fans won't have too far to travel for Boxing Day fixtures nowadays, they are unlikely to receive any Christmas cards from West Ham fans who made the 231 mile trip to Swansea on Boxing Day 2016.

The divide between managers who resent the fact the Premier League is the only division where players don't enjoy a festive break and fans that love it seems to become bigger with each passing Christmas.

However, if those at the top of the Premier League are so desperate to keep Boxing Day fixtures then they are willing to look past the recent string of Covid outbreaks at multiple clubs. And it would suggest Christmas football is going nowhere soon.

Klopp can count his lucky stars he hasn't been forced to sit in the dugout the night before Christmas. Wilkinson and Ferguson were not so lucky.