Fulham 1 Leeds United 0: Visitors their own worst enemy in stoppage-time defeat — Yorkshire Post 13/9/25
By Stuart Rayner
Leeds United's lack of cutting edge cost them badly at
Craven Cottage as they shot themselves in the foot.
The Whites were on top for 55 minutes without ever really
looking like scoring, and crumbled with a Gabriel Gudmundsson own goal in the
fourth minute of stoppage time after Karl Darlow had made two outstanding saves
to keep Fulham at bay.
The details matter so much more in the Premier League, where
shortcomings can be punished so ruthlessly. Not by Leeds in a first half of few
chances.
Summer transfer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin had the best of their
chances but failed to make it count.
The Sheffielder was making his first Leeds start in a
surprising front three which had Brenden Aaronson to his right and Noah Okafor
his left. It is hard to imagine that having been the forward line had manager
Daniel Farke got the signings he wanted on deadline day.
Calvert-Lewin's aerial prowess was something Leeds wisely
tried to play to, goalkeeper Darlow kicking long for him with his first touch
back on Premier League football after nearly four years away.
When a corner was only half-cleared in the 17th minute, it
was the former England striker who rose to get his head on Aaronson's ball back
in. But with Calvert-Lewin having to generate his own power, he could only
direct his header straight at Bernd Leno.
It was the first chance of the game.
From there Leeds began to slowly get hold of the game, Anton
Stach having a shot blocked after Gudmundsson got to the byline, only for his
pull-back to be but out.
On the other side, Jayden Bogle shimmied pas Alex Iwobi,
only to hit a shot against his former Sheffield United team-mate Sander Berge.
The half ended with a ferocious Sean Longstaff shot which
clipped the crossbar.
They went route one and Calvert-Lewin flicked the ball on
from out on the left. The midfielder was convinced Leno's glove had feathered
the ball over, referee Craig Pawson not.
Pascal Struijk headed a Ryan Sessegnon cross away in the
closest Fulham came to threatening before the break.
Leeds followed up with two good chances as the game
restarted in tipping rain before Fulham finally began to threaten.
Aaronson stabbed a shot at Leno after a god run and pass by
Stach, and Kenny Tete needed some brilliant defending to stop Okafor making the
most of a Calvert-Lewin backheel.
In the 57th minute Fulham had their first shot.
It came about when Pascal Struijk was penalised for pulling
Rodrigo Muniz's short, though it looked like both were at it.
Harry Wilson's curling free-kick brought a magnificent save
out of Karl Darlow, diving right.
His next was more straight-forward, Muniz heading a Sander
Berge cross straight at him in the 70th minute,
Emile Smith-Rowe hit a post shortly after, pouncing on a
poor Bogle touch.
Fulham had now become the most likely scorers, Sasa Lukic
volleying over on the turn, Adama Traore clearing the crossbar with a header on
the run.
Daniel James having to be substituted only 11 minutes after
coming on after appearing to strain his hamstring will do nothing to improve
the visitors' potency. Before the game Farke had spoken about how Leeds needed
to get the Wales winger up to peak fitness and form in the coming weeks.
Darlow's second outstanding save of the game came deep in
stoppage time to turn an effort from Fulham substitute Kevin behind for a
corner, but it was only delaying the inevitable.
