Leeds United have made a decent start to their campaign in the Premier League ahead of the Fulham game. With four points in three games, Leeds are sitting 12th in the early-season table, and are now preparing to travel to Craven Cottage this weekend.
The Whites have defied some of the early-season doom and gloom predictions with two solid performances against Everton and Newcastle United. They are now being backed to do well and finish above the relegation zone by the end of the season in May next year.
However, Leeds are aware that it is only going to get tougher and surviving in the Premier League is not going to be easy, despite their good start to the campaign. A trip to Fulham on Saturday will test their team’s mettle.
Their last trip to London finished in a 5-0 defeat against Arsenal, and Leeds’ job may have got tougher due to the referee who has been appointed for the game against Fulham.
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The Fulham vs Leeds clash will be officiated by a Sheffield-born referee
Leeds’ trip to Fulham will be officiated by Sheffield-born Craig Pawson, who last took charge of a Whites game in a 3-1 home win over Leicester City last year.
He previously officiated Leeds games in the Premier League, which included a 6-1 home defeat of Liverpool in April 2023, a month before the Whites got relegated.
In the 2021/22 Premier League season, he took charge of three Leeds United games. A 3-0 loss to Tottenham at home, 0-0 against Brighton away, and another 3-0 defeat against Liverpool at home.
The defeat against Liverpool had some controversy when Pascal Struijk was sent off for a very debatable tackle against Harvey Elliott.
Even the Liverpool star admitted later that the Leeds defender should not have been sent off for an incident that seemed like an accident.
Pawson was also in charge of the playoff semi-final against Derby County in 2019, and awarded the Rams a penalty under dubious circumstances before changing his decision following input from the assistant referee.
He has officiated Leeds games 12 times thus far, including a 0-0 draw against Manchester United.
Leeds will hope to get something from Fulham
Two solid performances against Everton and Newcastle United have given confidence, but the 5-0 defeat at Arsenal was a sobering reality for the team.
Leeds’ record against London clubs over the years has been poor, but the club believe that a solid defence and midfield give them a better chance on Saturday.
However, Chris Sutton has already insisted that Fulham have a far superior squad compared to Leeds and should win comfortably at home.
The Whites will hope to prove the former striker wrong and defy the odds by getting something from Craven Cottage, with several of their key stars set to return to the team.
