Leeds United returned from Brentford with a precious point on Sunday, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin continued his rich vein of form by scoring in a fourth straight Premier League appearance.
The stalemate leaves Leeds positioned 17th in the table, three points clear of the relegation places, after overcoming a stern away challenge against a Brentford team that has impressed at home throughout the season.
After losing six of their previous seven league games on the road, the 1-1 draw was a timely boost. Leeds put in a calm and organised performance to arrest that poor run and earn a deserved share of the points.
Once again, Daniel Farke’s men displayed the resolve and quality needed to compete at this level, strengthening the belief that they can successfully fight for Premier League survival in their first season back in the top flight.
Leeds United star Dominic Calvert-Lewin wanted to know from Jamie Redknapp
Calvert-Lewin was in the Sky Sports studio after the 1-1 draw against Brentford, and Redknapp revealed that the forward had queries about one more team in the relegation battle.
He pointed out that the Leeds striker wanted to know what West Ham did in their home game against Aston Villa on Sunday, which they lost 3-2.
Former Brentford star Ben Mee insisted that players and managers are more than interested in what other teams are doing around them, no matter what they say in public.
“When Dominic Calvert-Lewin first came into the studio, the first thing he said to me was ‘how did West Ham get on?’”, Redknapp said on Sky Sports News.
“He rushed up here to find out, and I think that tells you where their mindset is, it’s that mini league at the bottom now where every point you get is vital.”
Ben Mee added: “Teams and players are constantly looking at the table and where you are going to get points from.
“You look at the run of games Leeds have had, Chelsea, Liverpool and City all in a row. They would have been looking at that, thinking ‘where are we going to end up after this run of games?’.
“But they have come out the other side of it, and they look forward now for sure and continue this unbeaten run that they are on.”
Leeds look good, but are far from safe
Leeds have picked up five points from their last three league games. They have arrested their slide down the table and now sit just above the relegation zone.
The Whites are three points clear of West Ham, who are 18th, which shows how tight it still is at the bottom of the Premier League table at the moment.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 25 | -8 | 18 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 20 | 30 | -10 | 16 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 32 | -13 | 13 |
| 19 | Burnley | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 33 | -15 | 10 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 16 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 9 | 35 | -26 | 2 |
Leeds do not resemble a side that are set to go down, and in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, they have the in-form striker of the division in their team.
However, the Whites cannot get complacent and need to continue to keep their form going in the coming weeks. Home form will dictate their fate this season. But Leeds also need to take confidence from their result at Brentford and improve on the road.
Leeds have away trips lined up against Sunderland, Liverpool and Newcastle United in the coming weeks. What they can’t afford is another run where they lose six out of seven games.
There is far more positivity around Leeds at the moment compared to a few weeks ago. However, they are far from safe yet.
