Leeds Utd 0 v Chrystal Palace 0

9/21/20263 min read

A Comedy of Nearly‑Errors

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago we were strutting around like world beaters, puffing our chests out, telling anyone who’d listen that Leeds were back, baby. You could practically hear the Champions League anthem warming up in the distance. Some fans even went as far as digging out their passports, dusting them off, and practising saying “two beers please” in Italian. Well, put them back in the drawer. In fact, lock the drawer. And maybe hide the key. Optimism is dangerous in these parts.

Elland Road hosted a game of football — allegedly — between Leeds United and Crystal Palace. The pundits, in their infinite wisdom, had Leeds down as comfortable home winners. Palace had lost three of their last four, but anyone who actually watched those games knew they’d been unlucky. They came out swinging, popping the ball around with confidence, pressing high, squeezing the pitch, and getting tight to the home team. Leeds, meanwhile, looked like they’d collectively forgotten what sport they were playing. Second best throughout, and that’s being generous.

It was a drab, dour, dull affair — the kind of match where both teams cancel each other out so effectively, that you start wondering if they’d secretly agreed to a draw beforehand. Palace would have had every right to snatch a win, and Leeds wouldn’t have had a single complaint. In fact, most of us would’ve just nodded and said, “Yeah, fair enough.”

The midfield, usually a source of energy and bite, was overrun. Tanaka, normally full of spark, looked like someone had unplugged him at the mains. Stach continued his worrying run of form, offering little more than a reminder that football is indeed a game of eleven players, even if some of them are having a day off. But credit where it’s due: Ethan Ampadu. What a player. What a captain. He battled, he organised, he shouted, he gestured, he did everything short of physically dragging his teammates into position. If Leeds had eleven Ampadus, we’d be unstoppable.

Something had to change though, and on 67 minutes Daniel Farke finally made his move. Gudmundsson and Bogle off, Aaronson and James on. And what a difference it didn't made. In the first half hour, the combined contribution from the two subs… well, let’s call it “minimal.” Twenty‑eight touches between them, with fourteen losses of possession, one duel won out of seven, and not a single completed dribble. If raising the floor is the project, the builders might still be waiting for the cement mixer to arrive, perhaps a few more summer windows are still in need.

Now, let’s talk about Bahoya. All of us Leeds fans were clambering for him to come on at Newcastle when we were 4–0 up. If ever there was a moment to give the lad a run, that was it. But no; instead, Bahoya gets his chance as a left wing‑back with ninety seconds to go, in a game where Leeds were under the cosh. Ninety seconds. That’s not a cameo — that’s a polite handshake with the pitch. And yet, in those ninety seconds, he won both his duels, completed a dribble, made a pass, and won a foul. More positive contributions than some players managed in the whole game. Perhaps there are some positives to take away after all.

Speaking of positives, the East Stand enjoyed a lovely afternoon nap in the sunshine. From my seat in the West Stand, I looked on enviously as they reclined in their warm glow, gently snoring through the midfield battle. Meanwhile, the rest of us were watching a game so devoid of excitement that even the pigeons circling the stadium looked bored.

But let’s be serious for a moment. If Leeds had played this game last season, we would have lost it 1–0. Pino’s free‑kick — curled around the wall, low to Trafford’s right — would have snuck in if Perri or Darlow had been in goal. Instead, Trafford pulled off a brilliant save, the kind that earns you points and keeps your team unbeaten. A proper goalkeeper’s save. The kind that makes you exhale sharply and mutter “thank God for him” under your breath.

And that’s the bigger picture here. Leeds are unbeaten. Five games played, five games without defeat, sitting fifth in the league with nine points. That’s a fantastic start by any measure. We will have days like this — days where it just doesn’t click, where the passes are off, where the energy dips, where the spark isn’t quite there. But the difference now is that Leeds don’t lose those games. They grind. They battle. They survive. They take the point and move on.

As we head into the three‑week international break, we can be proud of the lads. Yes, it wasn’t pretty. Yes, it wasn’t exciting. Yes, it felt like watching two teams trying to solve a crossword puzzle without a pen. But Leeds didn’t lose. And sometimes, especially in this league, that’s enough.

So put the passports away for now. But don’t hide them too deep. Because if this team finds its rhythm again — and it will — you might need them sooner than you think.

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