Two wins and a draw in their last three home games for Leeds after having beat Chelsea and drawn with Liverpool, the Whites followed up their home form with a win against Crystal Palace.
Leeds would start the day as the 14th best team at home in the Premier League with Palace 1st in the away from home table.
However, the hosts would race into a 2-0 lead in the first half with two long throw ins from Ethan Ampadu crucial allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to bag a brace.
It was a set piece again in the second half to make the score 3-0 with Ampadu scoring after a corner.
Palace would get a consolation goal in added time as Justin Devenny would score from the spot to deny Lucas Perri of his clean sheet.
But Leeds would go on to score again with Anton Stach scoring a delightful direct free kick.
-
Story of the Match
The hosts made one change ahead of their tie with Crystal Palace with Brenden Aaronson taking his place in the starting eleven in place of Ao Tanaka. By comparison the visitors only played two days ago in the Conference League and made eleven changes to their starting lineup.
Five of the starting cohort Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi, Will Hughes, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah were all used substitutes during the draw against KuPS Kuopio on Thursday. Captain Guehi would make his 200th English league appearance.
Palace would also lose Ismaila Sarr and Daichi Kamada to AFCON and injury respectively. Hosts Leeds were left unaffected by the African Cup of Nations.
Youngsters Joel Drakes-Thomas and Kaden Rodney would both take their place on the bench after having featured on Thursday.
Early on a stoppage would occur with a clash of heads between Calvert-Lewin and Marc Guehi but both Englishmen were able to continue. Calvert-Lewin is a man in fine form after having scored in his last four Premier League games.
Frenchman Mateta would register Palace’s first attempt of the half with a tame cross finding the gloves of former Eagles goalkeeper Lucas Perri.
Joe Rodon would have Leeds’ first meaningful attempt of the game with a deflected shot after an Ampadu long throw.
Adam Wharton would impressively drive the ball from midfield into the attacking third with Yeremy Pino finding Mateta to lay it off for Nketiah who’s shot on goal forced a good save from Perri.
Shortly before the half hour mark Nketiah would be dispossessed by Gabriel Gudmundsson initiating a Whites counterattack with Noah Okafor beating Chris Richards and finding Aaronson. But Guehi’s last-ditch defending was exceptional to touch it out of play.
Tyrick Mitchell was lucky to escape a first half caution with a challenge on Aaronson in the area being checked and cleared by the VAR. Mateta would then go down the other end and send his chance quite wide of goal.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin would open the scoring on the 39th minute after a long throw being left unmarked with a tap in in the six-yard area.
The first yellow card of the evening was given to Maxence Lacroix for a rash challenge on Calvert-Lewin.
The hosts should have doubled their lead just before the end of the first 45 with a Pascal Struijk shot from range taking a heavy deflection to win Leeds a corner.
In the last minute of added time Calvert Lewin would double the lead once again from a long throw with a headed attempt being left unmarked at the back post.
Oliver Glasner decided to make his first change at the halfway mark with Colombian Jefferson Lerma replacing Will Hughes.
On the hour mark the hosts would extend their lead to three as they would score from yet another set piece.
Captain Ampadu would get his Premier League goal from close range after Anton Stach’s corner was initially headed clear.
In the following minutes Leeds should have had a fourth with Rodon seeing a headed effort deflected for a corner after Noah Okafor held off Lacroix on the edge of the area.
It took Palace over 25 minutes of the second half to register their first touch in Leeds’ box. Nketiah would see a miscued strike deflected leading to a corner with Wharton’s effort finding the hands of Perri.
Leeds’ first changes would come after 75 minutes with Willy Gnonto and Tanaka introduced with Palace bringing on their two Thursday night goalscorers in Justin Devenny and Christantus Uche.
Palace would have a couple chances to grab a consolation late on with Wharton finding Uche with the Nigerian striker failing to find his feet.
Glasner would decide to give Joel Drakes-Thomas a Premier League debut in the closing stages at Elland Road after having been voted as Palace Player of the Match on Thursday night against KuPS.
Palace would get a penalty in added time with Perri bringing down Uche in added time with Justin Devenny sending the Brazilian the wrong way to tuck it into the bottom left corner. The midfielder was unlucky to not get another goal as he would also strike the post with a header minutes later.
The referee would point to the spot giving Leeds a penalty, but this was overturned with Borna Sosa’s tackle on Ilia Gruev being deemed outside the area. But Anton Stach would then go onto score from the direct free kick leaving Dean Henderson with no chance.
-
Player of the Match – Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The Englishman’s double was inspirational in taking down Crystal Palace as he reacted quickest to a lose ball to stab it home for the first and got his head onto the ball at the back post for the second.
Became the first Leeds player since Mark Viduka in 2003 to score in five consecutive Premier League games as he took his tally to six in five games.
Before the game the Eagles had not conceded from a long throw all season but conceded from two with Calvert-Lewin and Ampadu both exceptional.
It was also the striker’s first league brace since November 2020 against Fulham.
