Full Time
Leeds United and Crystal Palace shared a goalless draw at Elland Road that had one big moment and not much else. Palace thought they'd nicked it when Tyrick Mitchell bundled in from close range in the 52nd minute, but VAR chalked it off for a marginal Anan Khalaili offside in the build-up — the kind of decision that takes four camera angles and a protractor to explain. Dominic Calvert-Lewin had Leeds' best sight of goal but shot straight at Walter Benítez when a bit more composure might have won it. Daniel Farke's Leeds stretch their unbeaten run to five games — though four of those are now draws — and climb to 7th on 7 points, while Pierre Sage's Palace pick up a point to move up to 13th after a stop-start start to the campaign.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Leeds are third with eight points and playing like a team who forgot they're supposed to be nervous newcomers back in the top flight — thumping Newcastle 4-1 last time out under Daniel Farke. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, have just three points from four games under new boss Pierre Sage and sit down in 16th after a 3-2 defeat to Ipswich. For Leeds this is a chance to look less like a fluky start and more like the real thing; for Palace, another bad afternoon and 'early-season blip' starts sounding like wishful thinking.
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2There isn't much of a rivalry to speak of here — Leeds spent the best part of two decades bouncing around outside the Premier League, so these two simply haven't crossed paths often enough to build up any needle. That actually works in Leeds's favour today: no baggage, no grudges, just a home crowd at Elland Road delighted for any excuse to remind everyone they're back among the big boys.
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3Keep an eye on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who's turned into Leeds's most reliable source of goals — ten in the league already, and he's scored in each of his last five home games. He'll have Noah Okafor alongside him up top, but Calvert-Lewin's the one defenders are supposed to be losing sleep over, and Palace's leaky back line gives him every reason to make it six.
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4Both sides go into this one patched together. Leeds are without Harry Wilson, Joe Rodon and Mateo Joseph, while Palace's injury list is longer still — Dean Henderson, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Chadi Riad all sidelined, and Axel Disasi now starts a three-match ban after his red card against Ipswich. Palace have conceded more goals than anyone else in the league so far, which is not the ideal profile to bring to Elland Road.
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5Even if you've no stake in either club, this is worth watching just to see whether Palace's defence can hold up for once — they haven't managed back-to-back solid outings yet this season. And if Leeds win, they'll be sitting in the Premier League's top three in September having been nowhere near the division a year or two back, which is exactly the kind of story that makes neutral football-watching feel worthwhile.
Team Talking Points
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1Leeds beat Tottenham 1-0 at Elland Road on Saturday thanks to Noah Okafor. He came off the bench and scored with his first touch in the 79th minute. Few things make a manager look cleverer than a substitute scoring within two minutes of coming on.
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2The win ended a five-match winless run in the league and stopped a resurgent Spurs side in their tracks. Leeds also had much the better of the chances. Leeds fans will point out it was no smash-and-grab.
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3It wasn't without controversy. Spurs were furious Leeds weren't reduced to ten men, and VAR got plenty of airtime afterwards. Leeds fans will tell you it all evens out over a season. Spurs fans will not.
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4Daniel Farke has Leeds eighth, just two points off a European place. For a club that has spent much of the last few years bouncing between divisions, that's very welcome stability. Mention Europe casually and watch a Leeds fan try very hard not to get excited.
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5Small worry over the break: Leeds midfielder Gudmundsson picked up some hamstring tightness on Sweden duty. Sweden boss Graham Potter says it isn't serious and he should be back on the pitch within days. That's the sort of detail that makes you sound properly plugged in.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Eighth and two points off Europe, and Okafor only needed one touch to beat Spurs. Farke's got Leeds looking like a proper Premier League side again.
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Avoid saying
"Leeds are a yo-yo club" — technically defensible over the last decade, but saying it while they're eighth and eyeing Europe is the quickest way to get a lecture about Don Revie.
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1Palace go into the international break bottom of the Premier League after a 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. Eddie Nketiah's stoppage-time penalty was a consolation, not a comeback. Being bottom in November isn't fatal, but it is the sort of thing fans prefer you don't mention first.
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2Manager Pierre Sage is under serious pressure, and the reports this week say his time could be up. Former Brentford and Spurs boss Thomas Frank is the bookies' favourite to replace him, with The Telegraph naming him as the frontrunner. Nothing's official yet, so 'I hear Frank's in the frame' sounds well-informed, while 'Sage has gone' might be a bit premature.
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3This slump has been building. A 5-0 hammering by Brighton a few weeks ago is the result Palace fans really don't want to relive, mostly because it was Brighton, their fiercest rivals. If you bring it up, expect a long stare.
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4There were glimmers against Liverpool. Jørgen Strand Larsen had a goal chalked off for offside by VAR and Yeremy Pino hit the crossbar, so it wasn't a total surrender. Palace fans will tell you the margins have gone against them, and on Sunday they had a point.
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5Don't forget this is the club that won the FA Cup in 2025, their first major trophy ever. Going from Wembley glory to the bottom of the table in about 18 months is a very Premier League kind of whiplash. Mention the Cup win and you'll cheer up any Palace fan instantly.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Whoever ends up in the Palace dugout, the first job is just stopping the leaks. They're not as bad as the table says, but they're getting close.
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Avoid saying
"Just bring Roy Hodgson back again" — it's been said as a joke so many times that Palace fans have stopped laughing, and the man has done his bit for the club twice over already.