Mighty Leeds Weblog

By Graham Smyth The Leeds United boss provided an update on his defender after Sunday's Premier League stalemate. Leeds United boss Daniel Farke felt three points were on the table for his side at Sunderland but after a half-time rollocking he was delighted with aspects of the performance. Leeds had to come from behind to earn a point at the Stadium of Light having conceded early on. Their second half response was one of sheer dominance and crucially it brought a beautiful equaliser. A team move took play back to front and it was finished off, inevitably, by the in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Though Leeds had chances to take the lead, most notably through Jayden Bogle, they were unable to find a second and finished the game defending a chanceless spell of Black Cats pressure. Farke was most pleased with how his team performed for the last 60 minutes and that they stretched their unbeaten run to five games. "That the unbeaten run continued and we showed again a grea...

By Stuart Rayner Sunderland 1 Leeds United 1 An injury to Joe Rodon twisted Leeds United's post Christmas game one way then the other as they took a valuable at the home of one of only two Premier League teams unbeaten on their own turf this season – but felt they should have had more. In a strange game, Sunderland could be disappointed because they could have put the game to bed in the first half, but did well to take a point with eight key players missing. Leeds showed great character on a very difficult away ground, but as manager Daniel Farke pointed out: “No dancing tonight because it was definitely also possible to win.” Leeds have improved massively since switching to three centre-backs but changing formation again in games has often been decisive. So it was in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Sunderland. The Black Cats were banging at the door when their visitors were in a 3-4-1-2 and an injury to centre-back Rodon opened it for them, but the switch following the Welshman...

Sunderland 1-1 Leeds: Simon Adingra had opened the scoring for the home side before Calvert-Lewin scored for the sixth game running Rebecca Johnson Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored for the sixth game running to extend Leeds’ unbeaten run to five games after a 1-1 draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Simon Adingra scored his first goal since arriving on Wearside to put the Black Cats in front, but Leeds levelled two minutes after the break when Calvert-Lewin neatly finished off a fine team move. A point sees Sunderland remain unbeaten at home in the Premier League so far this season and keeps them seventh in the table, while Leeds stay 16th. Leeds named an unchanged team following their win over Crystal Palace and Dennis Cirkin made his first appearance of the campaign for Sunderland in place of Dan Ballard, who was not named in the squad. Adingra had an effort deflected wide in the opening seconds and goalkeeper Lucas Perri scooped up Nordi Mukiele’s header from Gra...

By Lee Sobot Leeds United produced a brilliant response to a big double setback to take a 1-1 draw from Sunday’s Premier League clash at Sunderland which has taken the Whites seven points clear of the dropzone. After going 1-0 down and then losing Joe Rodon to injury, Whites no 9 Dominic Calvert-Lewin starred again, netting for the sixth game in a row after brilliant work from the excellent Brenden Aaronson to ensure the Whites bagged a point. Leeds then created a host of chances to leave with all three points but Sunderland held firm as the spoils were shared. Sunderland began brightly with an early shot from Simon Adingra deflected wide and a weak header from Nordi Mukiele easily saved by Lucas Perri. Whites defender Joe Rodon then looked in trouble after being caught late by Brian Brobbey on his ankle but the centre-back was able to continue - at least for now. Leeds then began to threaten themselves, Anton Stach's weak shot from the edge of the box saved before Noah...

Leeds United Football Club are today pleased to be able to share further information with supporters regarding the planning application which was submitted to Leeds City Council last July for the enhancement of Elland Road Stadium. The application included a detailed plan for the West Stand, along with an outline for the North Stand for the evolution of Elland Road taking the overall capacity to approximately 53,000, with greatly improved general admission and hospitality facilities to help the club meet demands for tickets, with 26,000 supporters currently on the season ticket waiting list. Public consultations held prior to the submission of the planning application with supporters and the local community, which were overwhelmingly in favour of the proposals. In total 98% of respondents supported the club’s overall proposals to enhance Elland Road Stadium, 97% of respondents supported an increase in capacity, 98% of respondents supported the design plans and 99% of respondents su...

White Christmas Written by: Rob Conlon The best bit about steamrolling Crystal Palace is struggling to work out which was the best bit. In the last game before Christmas, Leeds United gave us so many presents we were left spoiled for choice. The omens were promising even when the game was still goalless midway through the opening 45 minutes. Palace’s waifish number 10 Yeremy Pino went down in Leeds’ half begging for a free-kick and, with nobody in a white shirt showing any sympathy, had to be picked back up onto his feet by the referee, who wasn’t buying the foul either. Palace might have rocked up to Leeds with one of the best away records in the Premier League and their first-choice XI restored after being rested for European duty a couple of days earlier but, despite the occasional struggles of this season, Elland Road has always demanded character and fight from the players on either team — and Palace had a fanny in the middle of theirs. Whenever I noticed Pino from that mo...

The Swedish left-back has spoken about the impact of Elland Road, his new role at Leeds United and life outside of football Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter Leeds United left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson spoke to our Leeds United reporter Isaac Johnson for our Marching On Together newsletter. The Leeds star held a Q&A on the team’s form, his new role as a wing-back and the impact of Elland Road on the season. He also detailed what he will be eating for his Christmas dinner. Here's the transcript of that Q&A which was sent to newsletter subscribers last week. You can sign up to the Marching On Together newsletter here. Gabi, things have taken a big upturn at Leeds United - what has changed? Gudmundsson: “I think since we started this season, we had really good performances in most of the games and I think, for myself, that we could have more points that we have at the moment. “But still that’s the Premier League - it’s very, very tough to win games and get points ...

By Tom Coates A month is a long time in football. Leeds United could not get off the canvas in November, taking hit after hit in a bruising run of four straight defeats. A gutsy second-half display at Manchester City was all there was to savour and fans were wondering how many more blows manager Daniel Farke could absorb. There were more heavyweights on the horizon in December but Leeds have well and truly come out swinging. After beating Chelsea and securing draws against Liverpool and Brentford, Leeds chewed up Crystal Palace and spat them out. It was not always pretty - all four goals in the 4-1 win did come from set-pieces - but it was fast, furious and forceful. "We are not in a position to dominate this league,” Farke said. “We are in a position, as the newly-promoted side, we have to fight nature with a knife between our teeth. "Sometimes, you can have one, two, three good games on the bounce, even as a promoted side, but to show this consistency over s...

By Graham Smyth The YEP’s take and off-camera moments from Leeds United’s 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace at Elland Road. Leeds United had a Christmas party at Elland Road but Crystal Palace were not in the mood. The Whites were physically superior in every way as they created chaos in the Eagles box and dominated them on and off the ball. Two goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, a rare Ethan Ampadu goal and Anton Stach's wicked free-kick got the festive period off the perfect start for Daniel Farke's men. Here's the YEP take and off-camera moments from the 4-1 victory against the Eagles. Good day Dominic Calvert-Lewin Only Thomas Tuchel can make a decision on England selection so all Calvert-Lewin can do is control his controllables. His performances are creating a conversation at least and his goals are the exclamation mark. Two more against Palace took him to six in five. Few English strikers can boast that kind of form right now. Whatever happens with the na...

By Graham Smyth The Verdict on Leeds United’s 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace at Elland Road is in. Leeds United keep creating chaos at Elland Road but it's the foundations that underpin a recent transformation. Elland Road has a way of infecting minds with its madness. It can do strange things to football players, who find themselves doing exactly what they want to do or the complete opposite. The stadium's history is littered with individuals inspired to feats of footballing greatness and those who crumbled under the intensity. There is confidence at Leeds United that the final days of Elland Road in its current guise are just around the corner and that soon enough it will be transformed to meet the demands of ticketing and modernisation. But right now, at this precise point in the stadium's history, supporters are experiencing something that no one would dare tinker with. A football team is playing, fighting and performing in such a way that it feeds the cha...

By Kyle Newbould The YEP’s key talking points from another brilliant night under the Elland Road lights for Leeds United. Leeds United will enjoy Christmas on a four-game unbeaten run thanks to Saturday’s brilliant 4-1 win at home to Crystal Palace. A brace from Dominic Calvert-Lewin had the Whites two goals up at half-time before Ethan Ampadu grabbed his first goal of the season on 60 minutes. Daniel Farke’s side dominated from start to finish, the only blot on their performance a late Justin Devenny penalty to make it 3-1 in second-half added-time, but Anton Stach restored his side’s three-goal lead with a brilliant late free-kick. Below are a few of the YEP’s key takeaways from another brilliant night under the lights at Elland Road. More tactical tweaks from Daniel Farke There was only one personnel switch to the side that started at Brentford but the introduction of Brenden Aaronson for Ao Tanaka also encouraged a slight change of shape, with Leeds matching Palace’s 3-4-...

Leeds United have not only given themselves a blueprint for success but have cast doubts in the minds of relegation rivals Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter Leeds United gifted their fans an early Christmas present by going six points clear of the bottom three ahead of the big day. The Whites already knew they were out of the relegation zone before kick-off against Crystal Palace thanks to West Ham’s defeat at Manchester City, which was already a significant milestone. That then presented Leeds with an even tastier opportunity. Any result last night would have been a good step for Leeds but to get the win not only offers them valuable breathing space but also dents the confidence of relegation rivals, Burnley and West Ham in particular. Of course, the job is far from close to being done. Leeds sat 13th at Christmas in the 2022/23 season and supporters all know how the season ended. But there does seem an awful lot more things to be positive about this time around. The com...

By Graham Smyth Daniel Farke has broken down Leeds United's approach to a dominant win over Crystal Palace. Leeds United came up with a complicated plan for Crystal Palace and Daniel Farke said his players' execution was 'outstanding' in their 4-1 win. The Whites bullied and battered their visitors in the air, on the deck, in the box and in the scoreline. That they scored all four goals from set-pieces was an obvious point for Oliver Glasner to focus on in his press conference but there was much more to it than that. The sight of Joe Rodon popping up high and wide on the right, like a supplementary winger, was enough to suggest Farke had done something differently for this game. "The problem is that no one really found a solution how to open such a compact Palace side, they were always so compact, so dangerous with quick transition moments," he said. "We played a back five against the ball, a back four with the ball. With the ball Joe Rodon was a ...

The striker has now scored in five straight Premier League games for the first time since October 2020. Mark Walker Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice as Leeds thumped Crystal Palace 4-1 at Elland Road to climb six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone. Calvert-Lewin’s double gave the Whites a 2-0 interval lead and captain Ethan Ampadu’s first league goal for the club in the second half all-but sealed a deserved win for Daniel Farke’s side, who gave their survival chances another big lift. Palace substitute Justin Devenny converted a stoppage-time penalty, but it was too little too late for Oliver Glasner’s side and the home side had the last word through Anton Stach’s free-kick. Free summer signing Calvert-Lewin has now scored in five straight Premier League games for the first time since October 2020 and notched a top-flight double for the first time since November of the same year. The former Everton striker took his tally to six in his last five league matc...

By Lee Sobot Leeds United took on Premier League highflyers Crystal Palace under the Elland Road lights. Leeds United produced a brilliant performance to bombard Premier League highflyers Crystal Palace who were given a torrid night at Elland Road en route to a 4-1 defeat against Daniel Farke’s Whites. Leeds no 9 Dominic Calvert-Lewin went into the game having netted in United’s last four Premier League games and chasing a record set by Mark Viduka set back in 2003 as the last Whites player to net in five consecutive top-flight matches. As part of a magnificent display, Calvert-Lewin netted not once but twice as his brace together with a clinical finish from Ethan Ampadu and brilliant late Anton Stach free-kick capped a night to remember for Daniel Farke’s Whites. A disappointing Palace side survived a big call just after the half hour mark as VAR eventually checked for a possible penalty after Brenden Aaronson was brought down by Tyrick Mitchell just inside the box. Mitche...

By Tom Coates Leeds United continued their Premier League resurgence with a surprise dismantling of Crystal Palace. Daniel Farke’s men have found form and while a win was not a total surprise, the complete control they enjoyed against top-half opposition was. Palace looked shellshocked as they caved under the weight of Leeds pressure, squandering a chance to head into their Carabao Cup quarter-final against Arsenal with some momentum. Dominic Calvert-Lewin continued his rich vein of form with a first-half brace, scoring goals that both stemmed from an Ethan Ampadu long-throw. Leeds’ captain weighed in himself to add a third, steering past Dean Henderson to make sure of victory. Justin Devenny converted a stoppage-time penalty to deny Leeds a clean sheet, although the three-goal advantage was restored when an Anton Stach free-kick made it 4-1. First half The inclusion of Brenden Aaronson ahead of Ao Tanaka raised some eyebrows ahead of kick-off, as fans pondered whether th...

No win in London, no problem Written by: Rob Conlon For 81 minutes and 53 seconds, this game went exactly as we have come to expect. Leeds United in London. A lack of cutting edge. A referee rolled onto the pitch straight from a lobotomy. A painfully avoidable concession ruining plenty of hard graft. Keith bloody Andrews. Brentford aren’t very good, but after the heart-punishing highs of the previous week, I can’t have been the only Leeds fan bracing myself for a sobering comedown heading into this weekend. There were valid reasons to fear the worst. Brentford had won five of seven at home in the Premier League. Leeds had lost six of seven away, not to mention nine consecutive top-flight defeats in London stretching all the way back to the mindfuck of a last-gasp win against a nine-man Brentford side with Robin Koch at right-back, Sam Greenwood in midfield and Joffy Gelhardt up front. A lot has changed since then, except Leeds’ tendency to freak out in the capital. A 4-0 capitu...

By Graham Smyth Good day, bad day and off-camera moments from Leeds United's hard-fought 1-1 draw at Brentford on Sunday. Leeds United are unbeaten in three after once again coming from behind to secure a draw with a second half fightback. Brentford barely deserved their 1-0 lead at the Gtech Community Stadium but they weren't complaining when the ball hit the back of Lucas Perri's net. Yet Leeds showed the character that roared forth in the previous game against Liverpool and responded brilliantly to adversity. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's fourth goal in four games secured a result that few other teams have enjoyed at this ground, this season. Here's the YEP take. Good day: Daniel Farke. Another game in which his changes took effect for all to see. The introduction of Willy Gnonto led directly to a goal that gave Leeds a really valuable point at a very difficult ground. Farke is turning things around after a difficult spell and this was another important box t...