Leeds United F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry football itself first originating in Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1878 as Newton Heath L&YR by employees of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, with the company – as the name suggests – covering both historic counties. The club's new owners later changed their name to Manchester United in 1902. Leeds had traditionally been a rugby league city so it was a while before the attraction of football finally appealed to the local people. An association football club was finally made though in 1904, when Leeds City emerged. The two sides clashed for the first time in the Second Division at
Manchester United F.C. in European football in the Premier League in 2013–14 under David Moyes, United missed out on European football in 2014–15 for the first time in 25 years, but returned to European action the following season after Moyes' replacement Louis van Gaal guided the club to fourth in the league and a place in the Champions League play-off round. It was the first time that Manchester United had played in the qualifying phase of the Champions League since beating Hungarian side Debrecen in the 2005–06 competition. By virtue of winning the 2015–16 FA Cup (compounded by a 5th-place finish in the Premier League that