Daniel Farke and Leeds United will likely be satisfied to leave Selhurst Park with a point after a 0–0 draw against Crystal Palace.
Leeds had a big opportunity to take the lead 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 more difficult just before half-time when Gabriel Gudmundsson received a second yellow card and was sent off. Even so, Leeds showed real determination after the break, digging in with ten men to secure a valuable point.
While Calvert-Lewin’s miss and Gumdundsson’s sending off are dominating the headlines, it is hard not to pick out Brenden Aaronson for missing a great chance in the first half.
Brenden Aaronson gets blasted for missing a huge chance
Calvert-Lewin’s penalty miss and Gundmundsson’s sending off were the defining images of the first half. However, Aaronson had a huge chance earlier in the first half to give the lead to the away side.
The attacking midfielder fluffed his lines and missed the target to let Palace off the hook in a game that the away side could have easily won.
Sutton insisted that Aaronson would be hugely disappointed with the shot he produced when he could have easily scored.
He conceded that while the angle might have been tight, the American midfielder should have at least tested the goalkeeper from that range.
Sutton said on Sky Sports: “Aaronson, he’ll be disappointed with that effort.
[He has] got to work the goalkeeper, you’ve got to hit the target, which he doesn’t do, the angle’s maybe a little bit against him, but he has to hit the target.”
He needs to do better to keep Leeds up
Daniel Farke may look back at the missed penalty as a major turning point, as it could easily have secured three priceless points on the road. Even so, taking a draw from Selhurst Park is still a respectable outcome for Leeds.
Playing the entire second half with ten men, Leeds were forced to withstand sustained pressure, while the Crystal Palace players were jeered by their own supporters at the final whistle as they walked off the pitch.
With Nottingham Forest also dropping points, Leeds end the gameweek still three points clear of 18th-placed West Ham in the table.
If Leeds are to secure Premier League survival, Farke will need players like Brenden Aaronson to step up in key moments during the run-in.
Should they ultimately stay up, this hard-fought point could prove to be a crucial one in the final reckoning.
