Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Leeds United 3: Whites tick off important win with debut goals to boot — Yorkshire Post 20/9/25
By Stuart Rayner
Everton, now Wolverhampton Wanderers. So far this season
Leeds United have made a good habit of ticking off wins they ought to.
This one, 3-1 at Molineux, was pleasing because if featured
two goals from open play, three to get new signings off the mark, and because
they were forced to work hard defensively in the second half, and did so, with
Karl Darlow stepping up to the plate once more.
Although it was Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor and the
excellent Anton Stach on the scoresheet, Gabriel Gudmundsson also shone to put
the memories of his much less wanted goal at Craven Cottage seven days earlier
behind them.
There are no unwinnable games in the Premier League but for
a newly-promoted side some come pretty close, so it is important to beat those
sides who look a bit more vulnerable. Wolves are the only side yet to win a
point in this season's Premier League.
But just eight minutes into a sopping wet Black Country
afternoon, Leeds had a familiar sinking feeling.
Played into the byline by Stach, Gudmundsson pulled a ball
across the six-yard box just begging to be tapped in, but no one showed the
goalscoring inclinations to take the gift.
About 60 seconds later the Whites paid the full Premier
League price, Joe Rodon pulled out of the heart of the defence by Tolu
Aeokodare and Ladislav Krejci running into the space he vacated to tap in when
a stretching Sean Longstaff was unable to cut out Fer Lopez's ball in.
Wolves might not have been bigger than Leeds' new-look squad
but they were certainly bulkier, yet in that spell they could counter-attack
with speed and accurate passes. They were unable to complete the job again,
though.
Once they had cleared their heads, Leeds began to apply
their own pressure.
When Stach pulled a ball not dissimilar to Gudmundsson's
across in the 24th minute, Toti cut it out but at least Calvert-Lewin was there
if he made a mistake.
Brenden Aaronson had pretty much abandoned being a right
winger, and shot over from the edge of the area.
His wandering freed up space for Jayden Bogle, and when the
full-back was able to put a cross in, he made good use of it, putting some loop
on it to allow Calvert-Lewin to make the most of his aerial power, and the
centre-forward climbing above his man to head an equaliser.
"We've scored a goal!" sang the 3,012 Leeds fans,
delirious at their side's first strike from open play in this season's Premier
League.
When Aaronson played the ball into Calvert-Lewin in the 37th
minute, Lopez – on a booking for fouling Okafor – went through the back of his
man. Stach's free-kick from about 24 yards out was outstanding, only a fraction
too low to wedge in the corner Gordon Strachan-style.
Yerson Mosquera headed wide after a Longstaff foul on
Ricardo Gomes and Pascal Struijk put his body in the way to deflect a Joao
Gomes effort wide, but it was Leeds who scored the fourth goal just before
half-time.
Stach intercepted a sloppy pass by Wolves centre-back
Emmanuel Ageadou, and slipped in Okafor for a precise pass inside the far post.
Like the game's other three scorers, it was his first goal
for his new club. Stach was the first person to open his Premier League account
from a direct free-kick since Kalvin Phillips four years earlier.
Wolves were booed off at the break and re-emerged with three
substitutes. In the second half the Sir Jack Hayward Stand would turn on the
owners.
That was despite the changes leading to a sustained spell of
home pressure.
Two chances fell to Marshall Munetsi and twice Karl Darlow
denied him, topping a 52nd-minute header and getting low to keep out a drive
three minutes later. The first would have been chalked off for a foul in the
build-up had Darlow not reached it, but the save was further reassurance that
the Whites have a very good No 2 goalkeeper in the absence of the injured Lucas
Perri.
Ageadou and Mosquera – who had gone down with cramp minutes
earlier – both failed to get enough on headers.
WIth players getting in onbe another's way in the 74th
minute, Joao Gomes' deflected shot was no match for Darlow.
Leeds had to counter-attack as and when they could, but when
Gudmundsson did brilliantly to get into a crossing position, once more no one
was alive to get on the end of his juicy pull-back.
Agadeou's shot from distance took an almighty thwack off
Stach, and gave Darlow time to collect it. Andre's in stoppage time smashed
against his team-mate Jhon Arias.
The stands were sparsely populated long before the final
whistle, many Wolves' fans holding out little hope of breaking through the
white wall twice.
Jayden Bogle coming off injured was a concern, but James
Justin coming off was a reminder that when it comes to defending, Leeds are
well stocked. It was at the other end where they needed the confidence boost
this victory – and the nature of it – should provide.
Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur, both at Elland Road, will
be tougher tests, but Leeds have given themselves some breathing space to
attack them, seven points ahead of Wolves already.
