The five frantic minutes that could shape Leeds' season
Whether Leeds ' goalless draw at Crystal Palace was a hard-fought point after being harshly reduced to 10 men, or a huge chance blown for a crucial win in the relegation battle following a missed penalty, will depend largely on your own perspective. Unsurprisingly, Leeds manager Daniel Farke was in the former camp when reflecting on five of the most chaotic minutes so far this Premier League season. The truth of how this match is defined is not likely to become clear until the end of the campaign.
Leeds earned a point at Selhurst Park on Sunday despite having wing-back Gabriel Gudmundsson sent off in first-half stoppage time for a second yellow card. It was a debatable decision, with Farke claiming Gudmundsson had not even fouled Ismaila Sarr for the infringement that drew his second booking from referee Thomas Bramall. Bramall himself seemed uncertain, with a long gap between the yellow and red cards that seemed to indicate he had forgotten about booking Gudmundsson for another innocuous foul on Brennan Johnson earlier in the half.
That capped a frantic five minutes for Leeds , which had promised plenty when Palace captain Will Hughes handled in the box. Dominic Calvert-Lewin stepped up but dragged his penalty wide. Gudmundsson's dismissal meant Leeds received a red card and missed a spot-kick in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time - and became the first side to do so since Sheffield United against Aston Villa in September 2020.
Both Leeds manager Daniel Farke and Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner were booked But Leeds dug in after Farke made his only two substitutes of the match at the break. His astute changes involved bringing on Ilia Gruev for Lukas Nmecha to pack the midfield, and Jayden Bogle at right wing-back with James Justin switched to the left. Farke also, crucially, ensured cool heads prevailed after a dramatic end to the first period.
"Players are driven by emotions, we have missed a penalty then lost a player," Farke told his post-match news conference. "But they were highly motivated in the second half, so we concentrated on the topics and not to be driven by emotions. It was important to explain what to do.