Leeds United bounced back with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Fulham at Elland Road on Saturday, a result that maintained their eight-point cushion above the relegation zone.
The home side controlled much of the match but appeared destined for a frustrating goalless draw until the closing moments. Lukas Nmecha finally provided the breakthrough in stoppage time, firing home a dramatic late winner to claim all three points.
There were jubilant scenes at full-time for Daniel Farke and his squad following a determined home victory, another performance that boosted belief that Premier League survival is well within reach.
The win turned out to be even more important as West Ham later pulled off a shock win away from home against Tottenham, but Leeds’ result meant that it didn’t really mean anything for the Whites.
Alan Shearer insists Leeds United’s rivals, West Ham, are not a good team
The former England captain asked where that fighting spirit had been, pointing to the West Ham side that had shown such resilience at Tottenham, and stressed that their tenacity was ultimately rewarded with a late winner.
He insisted that West Ham earned the victory by showing some fight and gumption at Spurs. The performance was an improvement from their showing in the defeat against Wolves.
However, Shearer stressed that it doesn’t mean West Ham are suddenly a good side, but at least showed some fight.
He said on the Rest is Football podcast: “Where’s that fight been? Why can’t that happen every week?
“You’ve just got to go out and roll your sleeves up, and they did that yesterday. It was a massive improvement on what I saw at Wolves, but that doesn’t mean they’re a good team; they’re not, but at least they’re willing to have a scrap and a fight.
“And they got on the better side of it yesterday.”
Leeds United can afford to look up
While Tottenham’s struggles have left them glancing nervously over their shoulder after 22 Premier League matches, Leeds United are now in a position to look ahead and aim higher up the table.
The Whites still hold a comfortable eight-point cushion over West Ham despite the latter’s surprise victory on Saturday, although Leeds now sit two points adrift of Tottenham.
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 29 | +2 | 27 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 21 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 34 | 40 | -6 | 26 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 37 | -7 | 25 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 21 | 34 | -13 | 22 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 44 | -20 | 17 |
| 19 | Burnley | 22 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 23 | 42 | -19 | 14 |
| 20 | Wolves | 21 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 15 | 41 | -26 | 7 |
Their recent form has been impressive, with just one defeat in the last nine games, and even that loss at Newcastle required two late goals and a goalkeeping mistake.
As a result, Leeds can realistically start thinking about a mid-table finish rather than being drawn into a relegation battle as the season progresses. While complacency must still be avoided, Daniel Farke now has genuine grounds to be more ambitious about where his side can finish in the Premier League.
