Leeds United have won three of their ten league games away from home, which is a massive contrast from their excellence at Elland Road this season. For a team vying to earn automatic promotion, Leeds need to improve their form on the road if they are to finish in the top two of the Championship this season. Three of their next five games are away from home so what do Leeds need to do to fix their form on the road?
The famous story of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde is apt to describe Leeds’ contrasting form at Elland Road and away from home this season. While they have won nine of their eleven home games, on the road the Whites have struggled and only managed a draw at Preston North End last weekend.
Leeds are blistering past sides at home but on the road, Leeds look short of ideas and they have been panned for their predictable football, which has been easy to defend against.
Daniel Farke’s men are especially finding it hard to get back into games when they are conceding the first goal, which was different last season when they found ways to fight back in games.
It is clear to see scoring the first goal is massive for Leeds and they are allowing their opponents that advantage in most games on the road this season.
Why the first goal is vital?
Teams who tend to score first more are usually those who occupy the top spots in any league or level. Leeds’ excellent home form and their ability to fight back in away games allowed Leeds to acquire 90 points. They scored the first goal 13 times at Elland Road, winning 12 and drawing one.
Over the entire 2023/24 campaign, Leeds hit the front 22 times, winning 20, drawing two, scoring 49 and conceding just six. However, they didn’t score the first goal enough times as Leicester City and fellow promoted side Southampton both scored the first goal in 32 of their 46 league matches.
Leeds conceded the first goal 13 times away from home last season and it is a credit to their ability to get back in games that they still managed to breach the 90-point mark. Only Birmingham, Rotherham – who both got relegated – and Stoke conceded first more times than Leeds.
Leeds United need to stop conceding the first goal on the road
The Whites have already conceded the first goal away from home six times this season, which was the entire tally for Leicester and Southampton each in the 2023/24 campaign.
In six of Leeds’ last seven away games, it has been their opponents who have opened the scoring. The 0-0 draw at Ashton Gate against Bristol City was the only occasion the Whites didn’t concede one.
Norwich City, Sunderland, Millwall, Swansea City, Blackburn Rovers and Preston all scored the opening goal in their home games against Leeds over the past couple of months. The Whites are not only conceding the first goal, but they are letting them in early with five of those goals coming in the first quarter of the game.
The numbers this season are pointing to one thing – Leeds United have been slow starters away from home this season. They are conceding early in the first half and are finding it hard, contrary to last season, to get back into games.
Their away form has put more pressure on Leed not to slip up at home, but to their credit, problems at Elland Road have been few and far between.
It is an old adage that the first goal is vital in any game but for Leeds, it has been gaining even more importance away from home. They need to find a fix soon as they would not want to drop many points in the three away games they have to play during the festive period.
