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Birmingham City 1 Leeds United 1 (AET, Leeds win 4-2 on penalties): Keeper hero as Whites survive epic — YEP 15/2/26

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By Lee Sobot Leeds United took on Birmingham City at St Andrew’s for a place in the FA Cup fifth round. Leeds United survived a first-half onslaught as part of an epic FA Cup tie at Birmingham City which ended with the Whites going through 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time. Leeds threatened inside three minutes as a direct run from Noah Okafor took him to the byline and near the left hand post, the winger blocked out for a corner which came to nothing. Birmingham, though, soon put the Whites under pressure, a firm drive from Jay Stansfield blocked out by Jaka Bijol for a corner from which Jhon Solis volleyed into the side netting at the far post. A dangerous ball into the box then needed booting clear by a busy Bijol and Birmingham were then denied by a brilliant save from keeper Lucas Perri to tip a rasping shot from Stansfield on to the crossbar, the forward controlling the ball on the edge of the box and sending in a thunderous effort which was flying into...
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Liam Rosenior is angry — and wrong — Square Ball 12/2/26

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The credible hulk Words by: Chris McMenamy I’ve got some bad news for Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior — he’s been given the wrong copy of Premier League Rules for Dummies. Rosenior appeared in front of the TNT Sports cameras after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at home to Leeds United, seething at Jayden Bogle, the Premier League and, for some reason, reporter Olivia Buzaglo for their conspiratorial cabal set on denying plucky little Chelsea a home win against newly promoted behemoths Leeds. “The rule is that if there is any contact with his hand it should be disallowed,” Rosenior told Buzaglo while moaning about Leeds’ slapstick equaliser at Stamford Bridge. “But I haven’t seen it back to make that judgement.” Rather than allow himself time to go back and watch it, Rosenior took heed of Buzaglo telling him that the commentary team said it was a “non-deliberate handball”, and it set the Chelsea manager off further. “The rule is the rule, from my understanding if there is any handball in the ...
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Leeds United £5m well spent, Chelsea warm-up squabble and off-camera moments from madcap draw — YEP 11/2/26

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By Graham Smyth Good day, bad day and off-camera moments from Leeds United's comeback draw at Chelsea. Leeds United's man of the moment had to overcome disappointment to come up with another huge contribution to the Premier League survival battle at Chelsea. The Whites fought back from two goals down against a rampant Blues side creating all kinds of problems at Stamford Bridge to secure a vital point. Lukas Nmecha's penalty was followed by Noah Okafor's tap-in as they maintained their six-point lead over West Ham United and overtook Spurs in the table. Here's the YEP take and what you may have missed. Good day: Noah Okafor. It must have come as a huge disappointment for the winger to discover he was not going to start after putting in his best-ever Leeds performance against Nottingham Forest. Daniel Farke felt defensive duties had to come first and Okafor needed a little longer to recover before starting again. But when he came on as a substitute he carri...
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Leeds United total nonsense baffles Liam Rosenior's Chelsea — Graham Smyth's Verdict — YEP 11/2/26

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By Graham Smyth The Verdict on a brilliant comeback draw for Leeds United at Stamford Bridge. Leeds United owe it to absolutely no one to make sense in a Premier League survival campaign. Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior felt it was 'ridiculous' that his side could dominate all but a six-minute spell of the game at Stamford Bridge and still concede twice to draw 2-2. In a way he was right in saying that because creating 3.65 xG [Expected Goals] in itself suggests Chelsea should have won this game handily on home soil. They took 19 shots to Leeds' four. They accounted for more than twice the number of touches in the opposition penalty box than Leeds. Cole Palmer saw an empty net from a couple of yards out and missed. Most pertinently they went 2-0 up. That should have been that. Making it make sense was difficult at full-time, when the home manager struggled to explain how he was not talking about a victory and Daniel Farke was putting it down to the intangible quality of ...
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Chelsea 2 Leeds United 2: Stunning Whites fightback and a shocking Cole Palmer miss — Yorkshire Post 9/2/26

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Leeds United staged a stirring second-half fightback to snatch a point at high-flying Chelsea and keep their Premier League survival bid on track. Chelsea’s promising start to life under Liam Rosenior was derailed as Daniel Farke’s Leeds fought from two down to earn a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge and deny the Blues a fifth straight Premier League win. Until midway through the second half this had looked like being another step forward for a team who had been steadily growing into an exciting, watchable outfit under their new head coach. Joao Pedro got the opener with a lovely finish before Cole Palmer’s penalty made it two to have the hosts seemingly coasting to victory against a Leeds side who had offered next to nothing. Chelsea have looked newly confident in possession since Rosenior’s appointment but the manner in which they threw away two points was alarming. Lukas Nmecha’s penalty after Jayden Bogle had been fouled made it 2-1, then a moment of unbelievably casual defend...
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Chelsea 2 Leeds United 2: Amazing comeback after poor call and incredible miss in thriller — YEP 9/2/26

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By Lee Sobot Leeds United took on Chelsea in a Tuesday night Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge. Leeds United produced a brilliant comeback to stun Chelsea for the second time this season as Tuesday night’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge ended in a 2-2 draw. Daniel Farke’s Whites had to deal with a big fresh blow in being without striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin who missed the game due to illness, joining injured key pair Pascal Struijk and Anton Stach in being out. Farke’s side looked to be heading for an 11th defeat of the season as Chelsea raced into a 2-0 lead - helped by a poor call from Whites defender Jaka Bijol who pushed over Joao Pedro for a penalty that Cole Palmer converted. Leeds, though, with Bijol responding strongly, produced a brilliant fightback as a Lukas Nmecha penalty and Noah Okafor strike sealed a 2-2 draw which ended with an incredible miss from Palmer who missed an open goal by somehow firing over from a few yards out. The draw took Leeds...
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Leeds United Serie A tunnel shirt swap, mixed zone briefing and off-camera Nottingham Forest moments — YEP 7/2/26

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By Graham Smyth The YEP’s take and off-camera moments from Leeds United’s 3-1 win against Nottingham Forest at Elland Road. Leeds United gave themselves and their fanbase a weekend off from the worries of a relegation battle thanks to a huge win over Nottingham Forest. Defeat at Elland Road was almost unthinkable given the difficulty of the next three games for the Whites, and the possible narrowing of the gap between themselves and West Ham United in the drop zone. So to win so handily against Sean Dyche's men on a Friday night was exactly what the doctor ordered for such an emotional football club. Here's the YEP take. Good day Daniel Farke The YEP was not alone in worrying that the midfield profile was too defensive for a must-win game at home. It turns out the man paid to manage Leeds United had it all in hand and knew what he was up to. What he got from Ilia Gruev in particular was a masterclass. Leeds were well worth their victory and could have romped it by...
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