Perhaps it is testament to the progress Leeds have made since returning to the Premier League just over a year ago that there was frustration at failing to move up to third after drawing with Crystal Palace. Instead, Daniel Farke’s side enter the prolonged international break in fifth and unbeaten, which is a fine achievement in itself. Apart from Tyrick Mitchell’s disallowed goal, neither side gave much impression they would secure the points.
For Palace, it was a first clean sheet of the season, having conceded at least twice in their opening four games, relieving pressure on Pierre Sage, while the hosts suffered their first blank. A victory by two clear goals would have meant a best-ever start to a Premier League campaign for Leeds but they were blunt in the final third. There was even a level of discontent amid a ponderous performance with fans chanting “forward” as they failed to replicate the thrashing of Newcastle on Monday.
It is not always magic nights under the floodlights, champagne football, you overrun the opponent and score goals for fun. Sometimes it is a scruffy Sunday afternoon when you have to dig in. This was one of these games.” Farke is into the final year of his contract and signing a new one is a priority for him and the club.
His stature has grown over the past 10 months, with Leeds the fifth-best performing team in the division since December 2025 and the German will likely be rewarded for bringing stability to the club in the coming weeks as Leeds aim to build on strong foundations. The most notable moment of the opening quarter came when Walter Benítez took too long to distribute the ball. The referee, Adam Herczeg, making his Premier League debut and fully aware of the rules, awarded Leeds a corner as punishment.
It was a tentative game in the autumn sunshine, lacking intensity and quality, with Ao Tanaka snatching at a shot the closest anyone got to threatening a goal. Around the half-hour mark something akin to a football match broke out as nervousness was replaced by urgency. Jørgen Strand Larsen and Quinten Timber engineered a chance for Palace which was blocked and allowed Leeds to break through Noah Okafor down the left, although his cross was turned behind.
Palace had the greater quality, with Adam Wharton and Timber comfortable in possession in the middle of the park, while Yéremy Pino whizzed around in the hope of finding an opener. It was controlled play, as the visitors took their time in the buildup, although there was often very little at the end of it as James Trafford was left unthreatened. Leeds on the other hand would burst into life for brief moments as the full-backs flew forward, changing the dynamic in an instant but Palace’s centre-backs and wing-backs were built to deal with these rapid transitions, leaving Dominic Calvert-Lewin starved of service.
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