Leeds United need more quality as the unmeasurables bite them at Burnley — the final word — Yorkshire Post 19/10/25

By Stuart Rayner

The numbers looked good for Leeds United at Turf Moor. Try telling supporters who watched them pass up the opportunity of adding to the number which matters most – their Premier League points tally.

Eight from eight games is about where it should be for the Whites to stay in the top division. Depressingly, in 2025, that is about the best Leeds and Burnley can hope for even after 100-point promotions.

So when teams like that play each other, it is important to cash in. Burnley's Premier League victories this season have come at home to Sunderland, and now Leeds, 2-0.

More and more these days, matches are boiled down to statistics.

They can be a guide, but they are not gospel. Numbers can be manipulated. Your own eyes will always tell you more.

The eyes in the away end reached different conclusions on Saturday. Some applauded Leeds at full-time, others vented frustration. Some were already sat in traffic.

Manager Daniel Farke pointed to the numbers.

Shots, shots on target, blocked shots, shots inside the box, corners, crosses, possession, saves, passes, passing accuracy, Leeds were better on all of them. Usually much better.

"I'm pretty sure when Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City travel here they won't do better away statistics than we did," claimed Farke.

I am pretty sure they will not lose.

Manager Scott Parker spoke about "bits of brilliance" and things no one can coach seeing Burnley over the line. He might have added the things no one can measure.

Leeds' desire was strong too, as shown by the bombardment they put Burnley under at 2-0, but not their quality. The players it was missing in most were largely those who pre-dated this summer's spending.

Anton Stach was an exception, switching off as Lesley Ugochukwu ran off to head his side in front, and looking like English football’s intensity is catching up with him after a great start. It was no surprise Ao Tanaka was on the bench after flying from Denver in midweek, but a disappointment he did not come on earlier than the 81st minute.

But the simple ball out of play that led to the first goal was goalkeeper Karl Darlow's. The man unable to close down the resulting Kyle Walker cross was Jack Harrison – the first change to Farke’s XI in five games.

Walker's cross and Ugochukwu's header were top-drawer, like Luam Tchaouna’s goal from 25 yard. But it came from Pascal Struijk giving the ball away cheaply and was helped by Leeds players standing off him.

How is your nine per cent better passing accuracy looking now?

 

Likewise, when Harrison – this time gifted the ball by Jaidon Anthony – laid on a gilt-edged chance for Brenden Aaronson to equalise at 1-0, a better forward would not have allowed Martin Dubravka to touch his effort onto a post.

"It would have been a completely different story, a completely different game in the second half," argued Farke, with some justification.

An elite winger picked out in space by Sean Longstaff's cross would have volleyed in, not well wide off the turf like Harrison did. He might have put his volley from the D minutes later on target too.

It was Jayden Bogle who ballooned a chance from yards out to make it 2-1 when Dominic Calvert-Lewin nodded the ball across.

"It felt like we were sometimes a bit surprised when we were all alone on the goalkeeper, one against one," their manager commented.

A better substitute than Joel Piroe would not have glanced his 80th minute header so wide Daniel James was on the touchline when he retrieved it, and would have buried the pull-back the excellent Gabriel Gudmundsson delivered.

This is why Farke, down to his fourth and fifth-choice wingers because of injuries to Noah Okafor, Willy Gnonto and James – fit enough only for the bench – wanted extra attacking quality in the summer.

Not much point outshooting opponent 19 to four, or swinging over 47 crosses – a record for this season's Premier League – if you do not score.

Farke might have to think hard about whether it is time Struijk – fallible rather than terrible recently – made way for the defensive upgrade he spent heavily on in Jaka Bijol.

Leeds and Burnley have been here before.

The Clarets took four points in last season’s Roses games without conceding. They are quite content to let their rivals have more of the ball, not fussed by possession stats.

With added time there was about half an hour to play when substitute Tchaouna, yet still it felt decisive.

"You need to go off script, you need to dig, you need to get to places to just see the game out," Parker said of his side's approach from there, and Leeds did indeed put them under intense pressure.

But Burnley felt they could withstand it. They could not have held off Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester City in those circumstances, but they could a team of Leeds' quality.

Raise that, and the other numbers can become more relevant.