Leeds United v Bournemouth — Graham Smyth's Verdict on one thing still possible for new-look Whites — YEP 28/9/25

By Graham Smyth

The reception for John Giles before Leeds United versus Bournemouth spoke of two things already lost to football and one that has to be protected at all costs.

Giles was cheered onto the pitch to receive a Lifetime Achievement award, having turned out for the Whites 527 times and driven them to their highest ever heights.

You don't tend to find players in the modern game who play more than 500 games for a single club. That kind of longevity is long gone, in part due to the absence of loyalty in the sport. Players are so career driven that when, for example, the club they profess to love suffers relegation they look for the nearest exit. They might even explore the possibility of legal action to extract themselves from a mess to which they contributed. It's a two-way thing, loyalty. Clubs are so results driven that a player they profess to love learns he has become surplus to requirements almost overnight and might even find himself training with the Under 21s.

So with next to no longevity and even less loyalty, it is hard to become a legend like Giles. But what you can become in a very short space of time, is a player that fans love. And this Leeds United team showed against Bournemouth that love is still possible in the modern game.

The financial consequences of Premier League status have made a god of results, so there was of course a negative tinge to the post-match reaction following the 2-2 draw at Elland Road. Daniel Farke's substitutions, the way Leeds were pushed back in the last 20 minutes, Dominic Calvert-Lewin's misses and the 93rd minute defending that cost them a heartbreaking equaliser were all the source of grumbles. But if Marcelo Bielsa is right and football should still be about enjoyment, about being entertained, feeling represented, distracted and feeling belonging then there was far more to take from this game than a point and frustration.

Calvert-Lewin wastefulness

Of course the scoreline should have been different because inside the first 20 minutes Leeds had three gilt-edged chances to score a goal. All three of them fell to the man most would want them to. Calvert-Lewin was sent clean through with less than 20 seconds on the clock. Brenden Aaronson's clever flick, Sean Longstaff's poke over the top and a run in behind took Leeds' number 9 in on Djordie Petrovic but he failed to find a finish or the net.

Bournemouth settled after the early, early scare and found a bit of rhythm, showing their quality albeit without troubling Karl Darlow. Ryan Christie's pair of efforts both cleared the bar and Antoine Semenyo went past Aaronson like he wasn't there, requiring Jayden Bogle to block the resulting cross.

But for all their possession and territory, it was the men in red and black who continued to concede the best chances. Gabriel Gudmundsson sensed a chance to press deep into the corner, nicked the ball and his cross was fired into the box by Longstaff but Calvert-Lewin's stab goalwards found Petrovic equal to it. The striker's next chance was even better. Aaronson took Bogle's feed, hooked it over his head to find Calvert-Lewin alone at the back post and though he had time, he went for a rushed header and let Bournemouth off the hook entirely. With the quality of the opportunities it is not hyperbole to say the number 9 could have been celebrating a 19-minute hat-trick.

And as night follows day, Leeds were made to pay for their wastefulness. Referee Michael Oliver ignored a shove on Longstaff as he defended a cross but there was no missing Anton Stach's barge into Christie. The free-kick was right on the edge of the box and the power of Semenyo's shot beat Darlow. What was questionable from a Leeds point of view was the collective decision of the wall to jump, when the distance to goal would have made it challenging to get the ball up and down, and the positioning of draft excluder Aaronson. The shot went under the wall but right past the prone Leeds man.

New set-piece delivery man

Leeds' response to the goal was initially a nervy one. Pascal Struijk had a couple of wobbly moments and Ethan Ampadu sold Darlow a little short with a back pass. But no harm was done and when they regained composure they took the game to the visitors once more. Longstaff put his hand up as a candidate to be the new set-piece expert with a pair of corners that gave his team-mates something to attack. The second was attacked by Rodon and his header levelled the score.

It became a theme that repeated all afternoon. Longstaff sending in a corner, Rodon getting on the end of it. It just didn't yield any more goals.

The rest of the first half allowed Leeds to further seduce Elland Road. Noah Okafor went on a silky dribble into the area, taking on and beating quality defenders who just crowded him out at the last second. Tyler Adams was a figure of hate throughout and his late lunge on Stach brought out the temper in Longstaff and Bogle. The latter was held back but the former got in a shove as the crowd roared on their men.

Leeds' physicality was seen in the way they aggressively battled in the air and on the deck, winning first balls or the second one at worst. Longstaff popped up everywhere. When the chance arose he smashed into someone. When the ball was there he used it smartly. When Gudmundsson battled and battled to keep the ball at the byline, Okafor then Aaronson had shots blocked, the ball was there for Longstaff on the edge of the box and he lashed it in off the post with a beautiful volley. Elland Road was thoroughly entertained.

The crowd stayed in it, too, roaring approval as Aaronson gamely hustled around getting in the way of red and black shirts. Bogle went steaming across the pitch and leapt through the air over the top of an opponent to strain his neck and head a lost-cause ball back into play so that Leeds could attack. Jack Harrison replaced the tiring Okafor and got stuck straight in, sending a strike at goal that Petrovic had to deal with. Ampadu left one on his old RB Leipzig pal Adams in the air and it was cheered like a goal.

But the quality and depth of Bournemouth's attacking options was ominous with the scoreline still just 2-1 to the hosts. And Bournemouth pressed further and further forward in search of an equaliser. Leeds retreated back and headed, blocked and tackled anything that moved near their goal. Until one poor touch led to a free-kick for Bournemouth. That led to an aerial battle that was lost. That led to a looping ball to the back post and Eli Kroupi, who had been lost completely by Leeds, was free to sidefoot in a 93rd-minute volley. Elland Road was deflated.

There was still time for things to get worse but Rodon kept it 2-2 with a vital block on the edge of his area in what was the final action of a good game. The full-time response was mixed because while before the game a point would have been a good result, it was hard to swallow in the manner it was delivered. It's true that Leeds would have in their hands 11 points, had they not conceded two stoppage time goals but the eight they do have is impressive. It's more than the likes of Nottingham Forest and Manchester United have right now. It's more than many would have predicted at this stage of the season.

Leeds survival concerns

Concerns that Leeds have not fully rewarded their performances are well founded. That cannot be what this team becomes known for, or they won't be a Premier League team for long. Last season’s Whites became champions because they made sure they got what they deserved from games, chiefly by taking their chances and attacking to the death. But what Elland Road has in front of it this season is a team that is competitive. A team that runs. Tackles. Fights. A smashing machine that has scored five good goals in the last two games. In Longstaff they have signed a warrior with a sensible head on his shoulders. Gudmundsson was outstanding again. Calvert-Lewin did all the hard work, even if the finishing was lacking. The three fanbases who suffered such miserable relegations last season would have killed for a team like this one. They may never go on to become legends or make hundreds of appearances in white but make no mistake, this is a team you could fall in love with. Premier League money is all well and good but without love this game is nothing.