Leeds and Brentford continued their unbeaten starts to the Premier League season with a draw that had enough moments to suggest both can be optimistic about what lies ahead. Both sides won on the opening weekend, albeit in differing circumstances. Leeds crafted a hard-earned win at Nottingham Forest while Brentford were outstanding in dismantling Tottenham.
They cancelled one another out in a quintessential game of two halves at Elland Road, in which both managers will probably see plenty of positives. Kevin Schade’s wonderful finish for the visitors as half-time approached was the least that Keith Andrews’s side deserved by that stage after comprehensively outplaying Leeds. Andrews himself deserved immense credit for producing the tactical lineup that unpicked the hosts’ back five but Daniel Farke himself responded at the interval.
The German reverted to a back four to match Brentford’s shape and it worked. Leeds – in particular Ao Tanaka and Lukas Nmecha, both on as substitutes – were hugely influential in turning round the fortunes of the hosts and they got a deserved equaliser with 11 minutes remaining, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin turned home a Nmecha cross. On the balance of play, it was the right result.
But Brentford may have felt they should have been further ahead before half-time after dominating Leeds for almost all of the opening 45 minutes. James Trafford was called upon multiple times in that first half, denying Schade and Igor Thiago with smart reaction saves. Leeds were struggling to play through Brentford and resorted to going long to Calvert-Lewin, who was having little joy.
It was ultimately no surprise when Brentford did go ahead as Schade’s clever flick turned home a Keane Lewis-Potter cross. The hosts were booed off at the interval, but Farke responded. His switch to a back five last November against Manchester City ultimately transformed Leeds’s season and his tactical flexibility paid dividends again here.
Leeds went to a 4-2-3-1 and were almost instantly the better side with parity in midfield. James Justin forced a save from Caoimhin Kelleher before Dan James then came close on the break. With the Elland Road crowd now alive, the equaliser felt inevitable.
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