Blackpool win was one of my proudest moments says Leeds’ newest hero

The defender’s ninth-minute volley – only the seventh goal of his professional career – set up a 3-1 victory over Blackpool on Saturday and inspired a result which Cooper admitted he and his team-mates were “itching for.”

Leeds had gone eight league games without a win before Blackpool’s visit to Elland Road but strikes from Cooper, Souleymane Doukara and Mirco Antenucci drew a line under that sequence and gave new head coach Neil Redfearn his first success in charge.

Cooper, who found the net with a clinical finish from 20 yards, said: “It was brilliant, probably one of the proudest moments of my life so far. I used to think I was David Beckham as a kid but I just hit it and hoped for luck. You could tell by my celebration I don’t score too much. When I do, I go a bit mental.

“We knew past results hadn’t been great and we knew the fans were itching for a result. So were we. We gave a good account of ourselves and in the first half we’d have given anyone a game in this league.”

Bottom-of-the-Championship Blackpool responded to a toothless display before the break by dominating the second half but Nile Ranger’s 75th-minute header failed to provoke a fightback.

The contest was lit up by Leeds’ second goal on 31 minutes, a quality counter-attack which started on the edge of United’s box, involved Sam Byram, Adryan and Antenucci and was finished off by Doukara inside Blackpool’s penalty area.

“The second goal was a great goal,” Cooper said. “It was a bit like watching Real Madrid. It’s always good to look in front of you and see those passes going together. There’s a lot of quality at the club and I think everyone can see that.”

A delighted Redfearn said: “We’re really capable of taking a team to town and the first half is how we should play.

“The crowd can be a massive advantage and if we can get this performance and this pressure all the time, it’ll be very difficult for other teams to play here.”