Leeds United’s revival gathered further pace on Saturday night as they swept aside Crystal Palace 4–1 at Elland Road, extending their unbeaten run in the Premier League to four games.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin once again led the charge, with the 28-year-old striker scoring twice to underline his electric form. He has now found the net six times in his last four league appearances for the Whites.
Second-half strikes from captain Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach put the contest beyond doubt, rounding off an assured display from Daniel Farke’s side, who are increasingly resembling a team built to survive in the top flight.
After enduring six defeats in seven matches, Leeds have responded superbly by taking eight points from their last four. The turnaround has been swift, with belief and momentum now flowing back through Elland Road.
Leeds United star Anton Stach reveals dressing room talk vs Crystal Palace
Stach recently returned to the Leeds starting eleven after missing a couple of games due to concussion protocols. He has been a key player since joining in the summer.
He scored the last and fourth goal that disposed of Palace on Saturday night, and the midfielder indicated that the second-half performance was a result of the half-time chatter inside the dressing room.
Stach revealed that the Leeds players were certain about keeping going for goals and putting the Palace players under pressure after the break, even though the home side led 2-0.
The midfielder conceded that allowing Palace to score was a major disappointment, as every little thing, like goal difference, will matter for Leeds this season.
Stach was quoted as saying by the Yorkshire Post: “After half-time, we talked to each other, and we were confident we needed to keep going and needed to be brave in pressing to create more chances, to make it hard for them to create chances.
“We had some chances, made it 3-0.
“Of course, it’s not a clean sheet, which is a bit annoying. In the end, it’s also good for the goal difference and all in all, a very good performance.”
Leeds are scoring goals for fun
Leeds were clearly struggling to create or score goals in the early part of the season. But that changed since Farke shifted to a 5-3-2 against Manchester City after the break.
Farke’s side have scored 13 goals since that shift, with Calvert-Lewin scoring almost half of that tally with six strikes in five games.
| Total Goals Scored | 13 |
|---|---|
| Total Minutes Played Since That Moment | 765 |
| Minutes per Goal | 58.8 |
The Leeds forward has admitted that the manager is getting the best out of him by having more players around him since the shift in formation at the Etihad.
Leeds have looked like a transformed team in the last few weeks, and have pulled away by opening up a six-point gap with the bottom three.
