Leeds United’s seven-match unbeaten streak was brought to a dramatic halt on Wednesday night as they suffered a gut-wrenching 4–3 defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
Widely tipped as a potential game of the season, the contest lived up to its billing, delivering a frantic seven-goal spectacle that was ultimately settled by the hosts in the depths of stoppage time.
Leeds appeared set for a famous away victory until Bruno Guimarães converted a 90th-minute penalty to drag Newcastle level. That blow proved terminal, with Harvey Barnes striking again 10 minutes later to complete a stunning late turnaround.
While the result ended Leeds’ unbeaten run, their performance earned praise from Eddie Howe and the Newcastle fans, and Simon Jordan is feeling even more positive about the Whites.
Simon Jordan warns West Ham about a progressive Leeds side
Leeds have an eight-point lead over a West Ham side, who sit 18th in the table, and have not looked like winning a game for a while.
The Whites have been gradually moving away from the relegation zone, and Jordan has more bad news for West Ham and other relegation rivals.
He pointed out that Leeds are not only a defensively resolute side, but they are now taking the game to the opposition and are scoring goals for fun, which is a bad omen for teams such as West Ham.
Jordan said on talkSPORT: “Leeds losing last night, whilst it might give a crumb of comfort for West Ham, Leeds are becoming a good side, and the fact they’ve been beaten 3-4, and were 3-2 up, and are taking the game to everybody.
“Not only are they changing the way they’ve played to make them more difficult to beat, but they’re now doing that and taking the game to the opposition.”
Jordan is right, Leeds are getting better
Daniel Farke cut a visibly frustrated figure at the final whistle, conceding that Lucas Perri might have done more to keep out Barnes’ late winner.
Nevertheless, the sense of disappointment was tempered by plenty of encouragement. Leeds were moments away from claiming another valuable away point after a strong, well-rounded performance that once again highlighted their growing resilience.
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Bournemouth | 21 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 34 | 40 | -6 | 26 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 21 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 37 | -8 | 22 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 21 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 34 | -13 | 21 |
| 18 | West Ham | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 43 | -21 | 14 |
| 19 | Burnley | 21 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 22 | 41 | -19 | 13 |
| 20 | Wolves | 21 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 15 | 41 | -26 | 7 |
Although the unbeaten run has now come to an end, there is little indication that Leeds are incapable of quickly putting together another positive sequence of results, particularly given how comfortably they continue to hold their own against established Premier League opposition.
Crucially, displays like this are strengthening the belief that Leeds are unlikely to be dragged into a relegation battle come the business end of the campaign. With West Ham United continuing to struggle, the pressure has eased further, allowing the Whites to look ahead with increasing confidence towards a secure mid-table finish.
