Leeds United were unable to build on their impressive win over Newcastle United as they laboured to a disappointing 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace at Elland Road today.
The mood around the stadium had been understandably upbeat after Leeds produced one of their best performances of the season to beat Newcastle 4-1 under the lights. Expectations were therefore high ahead of Palace’s visit.
On paper, it looked like a favourable opportunity for Daniel Farke’s side. Palace had conceded 11 goals across their opening four Premier League games and lost three, but Leeds struggled to make their dominance count and never looked close to reproducing Monday night’s attacking display.
In fact, the visitors thought they had done enough to snatch all three points when they found the net. Thankfully for Leeds, VAR intervened, and the goal was ruled out for offside.
Had it stood, it would have been a hugely embarrassing result for the Whites, particularly so soon after their outstanding victory over Newcastle.
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Adam Wharton makes honest Leeds United admission
The Crystal Palace midfielder stressed how difficult it is to play Leeds at Elland Road and how intimidating the atmosphere can be for an away side.
He said Palace learned the hard way last season when they suffered a heavy defeat at Elland Road. But he indicated that they learned from that experience.
The Palace midfielder stressed that the idea was to make it hard for Leeds to play and get the home crowd going and insisted that it could have gone either way toward the end.
Wharton said on Sky Sports: “We know how difficult it is to come here because of the crowd and the atmosphere.
“It’s difficult to come away with anything, really. Last year we found that, and we had a battering, really.
“We wanted to make it difficult for them to play against us, limit their chances and also try and create chances.
“I think it was a tight game and could have gone either way, as at the end it was end-to-end.
“It’s a strong point.”
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Leeds indeed found it hard to get going
Some 0-0 draws could be fun to watch, but this was not one of them. Leeds struggled for intensity and momentum at Elland Road today.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had one big chance that he missed, but other than that, Leeds hardly created any clear-cut opportunities to trouble Palace.
The visitors’ goal was justifiably ruled out, but it is hard to suggest that they would not be happy with the point they are taking back to London.
It was also a hard reality check for Leed and while they remain unbeaten, they are now aware that a lot of work still needs to happen for this team to become a top-half Premier League side.
