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3 hours ago
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Daniel Farke is trying to stay cool. Having moved to within touching distance of Premier League safety when Leeds beat Nottingham Forest last month, picking up only three points from their past five games could be raising a few jitters among supporters. But Farke and his players were the ones celebrating at full-time here after earning a point that could be priceless to their hopes of survival.
Had Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted from the spot after Will Hughes had gifted them a penalty then things may have looked very different. Up until that point, Leeds had been the much better side as Crystal Palace again struggled against their physical approach. But the sending off of Gabriel Gudmundsson after a comical moment when the referee, Thomas Bramall, briefly forgot that the Sweden defender had already been cautioned changed the complexion of the game.
A toothless Palace could not make their advantage count as they were held to a stalemate for the second time in four days as Leeds dug in.
Oliver Glasner prioritised Palace’s trip to Elland Road in December over their Conference League commitments but his first-choice side were promptly thumped 4-1. This time, with the trip to Cyprus in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday in mind, he gave Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada some minutes and handed Hughes the captain’s armband in the absence of Dean Henderson. That meant a first Premier League start for Walter Benítez, whose previous appearance came in the now infamous FA Cup defeat to non-league Macclesfield.
Farke was full of compliments about his Austrian counterpart in the buildup and is “100% sure” that Glasner will walk into his next job after his contract with Palace expires in the summer. But having scored all four of their goals from set pieces in their previous meeting, there was no doubt which areas Leeds – who have created more chances from them than any other side in the division this season – would be targeting again as they looked for a first Premier League win in south London since January 1998.
While Evann Guessand almost made Karl Darlow pay for dawdling over a back pass in the third minute, the tone for an ill-tempered game was set when Pascal Struijk hacked down the Côte d’Ivoire forward soon after.
It was Leeds who created more from a scrappy first half and they should have ended it in front. Brenden Aaronson directed his shot just wide after Ismaïla Sarr misjudged a header before Calvert-Lewin saw two headers from corners saved by Benítez, with replays showing that most of the ball had crossed the line on the first. By contrast, Palace looked lethargic after their exertions in midweek and created practically nothing despite Guessand’s best efforts.
But the real drama was reserved for injury time of the first half. Leeds were awarded a penalty when Hughes inexplicably handled inside the area but Calvert-Lewin could only drag his effort well wide of the target. Then, after Jaka Bijol had escaped a second caution for bringing down Sarr and both Glasner and Farke were shown yellow cards in the ensuing melee, Gudmundsson took out the Senegal forward a minute later.
At first the referee, Tom Bramall, appeared to forget that Gudmundsson had already been booked before he eventually realised his mistake after being reminded by Sarr. The Palace defender Jaydee Canvot pumped his fist in delight when the red card finally came out.
Given how they have struggled against a low block in the Conference League, he should have known that playing against 10 men would be no guarantee of a Palace victory. They continued to look devoid of ideas as Leeds sat in their shape and waited for the mistakes that came regularly.
Glasner’s decision to withdraw the ineffective Jørgen Strand Larsen for Jean-Philippe Mateta was again greeted with boos, although perhaps mainly due to its negativity this time rather than any lingering grievances against the France striker.
The change at least gave Palace new impetus as Mateta forced Darlow into a full-stretch save after Sarr’s cross was diverted off his chest before – to Farke’s relief – Struijk’s headed clearance shaved his own crossbar.
Johnson was very lucky to escape a second yellow card for tripping James Justin and the Leeds fans made their feelings clear to Bramall. Palace had a goal from Jefferson Lerma disallowed when Brennan Johnson was centimetres offside after a clear corner routine that almost paid off.
