Daniel Farke and Leeds United will be relatively satisfied to come away from Selhurst Park with a point after their 0–0 draw against Crystal Palace.
Leeds had a great opportunity to go ahead in the first half when they were awarded a penalty inside the Palace box, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin sent his effort wide, missing the chance to score his 11th Premier League goal of the season.
The situation became even tougher just before the interval when Gabriel Gudmundsson received a second yellow card and was sent off. Despite being down to ten men, Leeds showed real grit in the second half and managed to hold on for a valuable point.
Wayne Rooney and Gary Lineker have backed Leeds to stay up, while Michael Owen feels that they are likely to go down at the end of the season.
Tim Sherwood sends a warning to Leeds United
The former Tottenham midfielder has insisted that teams who end up surviving always pick up points when they are not really expected to.
He pointed out that Forest did that when they drew against Manchester City, and Tottenham picked up an unexpected point against Liverpool on Sunday.
Sherwood pointed out that Leeds failed to do that at Crystal Palace, where they could have won had Calvert-Lewin converted his spot-kick.
However, he feels Leeds’ home form will likely save them and insists that they may just have the points needed to ensure they stay up this season.
Sherwood said on Premier League Productions: “If you’re going to stay in the league, you’re going to have to go to places and get points when you’re least expected to, and I think Tottenham have done that today, I think Nottingham Forest did that against Manchester City, and West Ham did it.
“Leeds haven’t, but I think their home advantage might just get them over the line with the fans.
“And I know it’s a difficult place to play when things are not going well there because of the expectancy of Elland Road, but I just think the points they already have on the board, I’d rather have the points on the board.”
The point at Palace is worth it’s weight in gold
Farke may end up regretting the missed penalty, as it could easily have secured three vital points away from home. Even so, coming away with a draw is still a respectable outcome for Leeds.
After going down to ten men, Leeds had to weather sustained pressure throughout the second half, while the Crystal Palace players were booed by their own supporters at full-time as they left the pitch.
Premier League Bottom Six – Relegation Battle
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Leeds United | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 37 | 48 | -11 | 32 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 40 | 47 | -7 | 30 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 28 | 43 | -15 | 29 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 36 | 55 | -19 | 29 |
| 19 | Burnley | 30 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 32 | 58 | -26 | 20 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 30 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 52 | -30 | 16 |
With Nottingham Forest also failing to win, Leeds close the gameweek still three points clear of 18th-placed West Ham.
If Leeds do go on to secure Premier League survival, this could ultimately be viewed as a hugely important point during a crucial stage of the season for Farke and his players.
