The first of four minutes of stoppage time; the normal “Fergie” rate, not the absurd double figures generated by such interruptions to the flow of the beautiful game as the granular deliberations of the VAR team; officious, nit picking power holders for whom the description “jobsworth” is perhaps the most charitable.
Leeds would proceed to an unbeaten run of seven matches; amassing eleven points from two victories and five draws which has enabled us to build that eight-point safety margin from the drop zone. It ended in chaotic style at Newcastle where we had led on three occasions including two goals from US international Brenden Aaronson whose redemption in the eyes of the fans has been one of the stories of the season at Elland Road only to succumb 4-3 due to a soft penalty in the 91st minute and a winner by another Leeds nemesis Harvey Barnes in the 102nd minute (you read that right; football really is more than a game of two halves these days). Highlights of this run included a 3-1 home win against Chelsea (always a tonic but only a win in the Cup against one of our pantomime villains will ever do); a 4-1 romp over Crystal Palace again at Elland Road and another late, late show at home against Liverpool when a 95th minute volley from Japanese international Ao Tanaka secured a share of the spoils in a 3-3 draw after we had trailed 2-0 and 3-2 in a game where all the goals came in the second half.
For many football writers and commentators, the story of Leeds United’s rejuvenation has been largely that of the rejuvenation of the career of the aforementioned Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has scored eight times in this run to bring his tally to nine which makes him the fourth top scorer in the Premier League at the time of writing. He is the first Leeds player to score in six consecutive top-tier matches since 1959-60. He has widely expected to be given his twelfth England gap this spring by Thomas Tuchel; his 11th having been given in 2021. What a transformation in fortunes for a striker who amassed a mere 12 league goals in his last three years at Goodison Park; a meagre output that is attributable not just to the hamstring injuries that caused him to miss 31 matches in five years but to mental fatigue.[1]
Counter-intuitively, Calvert-Lewin’s missing out on pre-season training proved to be a revelatory moment for him. It enabled him to spend some real quality time with his family; he really enjoyed “pushing my daughter on the swing when other players were in pre-season” – a simple but profound family routine which takes him out of the bubble that football so often is but which recharged his batteries in that it [also] made me realise how much I missed football and that I’m far from finished.”[2].
With his fitness recovered and his physical and mental resilience enhanced, Calvert-Lewin has been transformed “into a lean, mean scoring machine.” This has been enabled by Farke’s shift to a 5-3-2 and a quicker, more direct approach which emphasises his ability to steal a march on markers by invariably sensing the destination of a cross or through pass before the ball is even played.[3] I would also add an ability to hold the ball up and make things happen for fellow attackers in the manner of a previously redeemed Leeds forward, Patrick Bamford.
But Calvert-Lewin is so influential off the pitch as well, possibly never more so during that increasingly totemic half-time confab at Manchester City. Attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson “will never forget what happened at City” with Dom:
But Leeds United’s revival has not just been the Dominic Calvert-Lewin show. Farke’s Damascene conversion to 3-5-2 has enabled other flowers to bloom. Our proficiency from set pieces has been a revelation with all four goals against Palace coming from two corner kicks and two long throws from Ampadou and crucial goals from Jakob Bijol in the win against Chelsea and that leveller by Tanaka against Liverpool. Our defensive flexibility has enabled James Justin, Jayden Bogle, and Gudjohnsen to function as extra attackers with no detriment to their sentry duties as defenders. Farke’s judicious use of substitutions (another former source of fan criticism) has enabled midfielder Ao Tanaka and Italian attacker Willy Gnonto to showcase their talents to their respective countries’ World Cup selectors. Farke has not shied away from difficult squad choices, once again drafting in the experienced Karl Darlow to replace the underperforming Brazilian Lucas Perri between the sticks; just as Ilan Meslier had to be sidelined for last season’s April promotion run in.
The last-minute winner against Fulham was particularly sweet since the fixture at Craven Cottage earlier in the season had resulted in a home win courtesy of a stoppage time own goal by Gudjohnsen which settled a dour, defensive contest similar to Saturday’s proceedings. But both these outcomes as well as the late drama at St James Park and Elland Road involving Liverpool tell us an essential truth about the great but cruel game which fans love and hate in equal measures: What Football Giveth, Football Taketh.
[4] Ibid
A cross by club captain Ethan Ampadou is met with a deft flick volley by substitute Lukas Nmencha into the net for the only goal of what in truth was a drab game of few opportunities. But such aesthetic considerations are no concern of the vast majority of the regulation full house attendance of 36,000 plus, who ecstatically celebrate a vital victory and just our fourth clean sheet of the season. The importance of this win was underlined by West Ham’s stoppage time winner in their Dysfunction Derby at Tottenham. The eight point gap between us and the Hammers who still occupy the final relegation place in the Premiership in twentieth.
Although it would be foolish to declare total safety from the drop, I now feel able to look upwards the table and contemplate a possible rise by one place after next weekend’s series of Premiership fixtures rather than constantly looking over my shoulder at what is behind us. While continuing to look in the rear-view mirror, Leeds United are playing with the fluidity, consistency, and lack of fear of more “illustrious” teams - which augurs well for a second season in the Premier League. These are words I could not have written in the aftermath of our 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa on 23rd November 2025 which confirmed our residence in the bottom three. An away fixture at Manchester City and two home games against Chelsea and Liverpool loomed; doom and gloom shrouded the club, and manager Daniel Farke’s security of tenure was unlikely to survive the outcomes of the likely traumatic trio.
Sure enough at the Etihad, we trailed City two nil at half time, Phil Foden having put them ahead before we had time to draw breath. Frankly, they toyed with us; the margin of their lead at the interval did not reflect their superiority, and apocalyptic thoughts were conjuring up a repeat of the 7-0 (or worse) rout at the Etihad four years previously in the last months of Marcelo Bielsa’s reign. Yet this juncture may well prove to have been one of the most consequential in Leeds United history. Daniel Farke decided to rip up his long preferred tactical formation of a back four and a lone striker to a 3-5-2. He introduced Dominic Calvert-Lewin, an England capped forward signed on a free transfer from Everton during the summer window from Everton but whose recent injury history meant that he had to play fitness catch up for the early months of the season Within minutes of the restart he had scored his second goal for the club with some really deft body swerving and footwork. His partnership with Nmencha began to work like clockwork, the telepathy giving the impression that they were in a long-term partnership. It soon paid dividends as Leeds forced a panicked City to concede a penalty which Nmencha duly scored for his second spot kick of the season. Leeds were playing like a team transformed and another bout of “Cityitis” seemed possible. Never mind that Phil Foden scored again in stoppage time (don’t we love that grace period) to obtain the three points for Chastened City, this was a defeat in name only for Leeds and the last in a run of six losses in seven.
Although it would be foolish to declare total safety from the drop, I now feel able to look upwards the table and contemplate a possible rise by one place after next weekend’s series of Premiership fixtures rather than constantly looking over my shoulder at what is behind us. While continuing to look in the rear-view mirror, Leeds United are playing with the fluidity, consistency, and lack of fear of more “illustrious” teams - which augurs well for a second season in the Premier League. These are words I could not have written in the aftermath of our 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa on 23rd November 2025 which confirmed our residence in the bottom three. An away fixture at Manchester City and two home games against Chelsea and Liverpool loomed; doom and gloom shrouded the club, and manager Daniel Farke’s security of tenure was unlikely to survive the outcomes of the likely traumatic trio.
Sure enough at the Etihad, we trailed City two nil at half time, Phil Foden having put them ahead before we had time to draw breath. Frankly, they toyed with us; the margin of their lead at the interval did not reflect their superiority, and apocalyptic thoughts were conjuring up a repeat of the 7-0 (or worse) rout at the Etihad four years previously in the last months of Marcelo Bielsa’s reign. Yet this juncture may well prove to have been one of the most consequential in Leeds United history. Daniel Farke decided to rip up his long preferred tactical formation of a back four and a lone striker to a 3-5-2. He introduced Dominic Calvert-Lewin, an England capped forward signed on a free transfer from Everton during the summer window from Everton but whose recent injury history meant that he had to play fitness catch up for the early months of the season Within minutes of the restart he had scored his second goal for the club with some really deft body swerving and footwork. His partnership with Nmencha began to work like clockwork, the telepathy giving the impression that they were in a long-term partnership. It soon paid dividends as Leeds forced a panicked City to concede a penalty which Nmencha duly scored for his second spot kick of the season. Leeds were playing like a team transformed and another bout of “Cityitis” seemed possible. Never mind that Phil Foden scored again in stoppage time (don’t we love that grace period) to obtain the three points for Chastened City, this was a defeat in name only for Leeds and the last in a run of six losses in seven.
Leeds would proceed to an unbeaten run of seven matches; amassing eleven points from two victories and five draws which has enabled us to build that eight-point safety margin from the drop zone. It ended in chaotic style at Newcastle where we had led on three occasions including two goals from US international Brenden Aaronson whose redemption in the eyes of the fans has been one of the stories of the season at Elland Road only to succumb 4-3 due to a soft penalty in the 91st minute and a winner by another Leeds nemesis Harvey Barnes in the 102nd minute (you read that right; football really is more than a game of two halves these days). Highlights of this run included a 3-1 home win against Chelsea (always a tonic but only a win in the Cup against one of our pantomime villains will ever do); a 4-1 romp over Crystal Palace again at Elland Road and another late, late show at home against Liverpool when a 95th minute volley from Japanese international Ao Tanaka secured a share of the spoils in a 3-3 draw after we had trailed 2-0 and 3-2 in a game where all the goals came in the second half.
For many football writers and commentators, the story of Leeds United’s rejuvenation has been largely that of the rejuvenation of the career of the aforementioned Dominic Calvert-Lewin who has scored eight times in this run to bring his tally to nine which makes him the fourth top scorer in the Premier League at the time of writing. He is the first Leeds player to score in six consecutive top-tier matches since 1959-60. He has widely expected to be given his twelfth England gap this spring by Thomas Tuchel; his 11th having been given in 2021. What a transformation in fortunes for a striker who amassed a mere 12 league goals in his last three years at Goodison Park; a meagre output that is attributable not just to the hamstring injuries that caused him to miss 31 matches in five years but to mental fatigue.[1]
Counter-intuitively, Calvert-Lewin’s missing out on pre-season training proved to be a revelatory moment for him. It enabled him to spend some real quality time with his family; he really enjoyed “pushing my daughter on the swing when other players were in pre-season” – a simple but profound family routine which takes him out of the bubble that football so often is but which recharged his batteries in that it [also] made me realise how much I missed football and that I’m far from finished.”[2].
With his fitness recovered and his physical and mental resilience enhanced, Calvert-Lewin has been transformed “into a lean, mean scoring machine.” This has been enabled by Farke’s shift to a 5-3-2 and a quicker, more direct approach which emphasises his ability to steal a march on markers by invariably sensing the destination of a cross or through pass before the ball is even played.[3] I would also add an ability to hold the ball up and make things happen for fellow attackers in the manner of a previously redeemed Leeds forward, Patrick Bamford.
But Calvert-Lewin is so influential off the pitch as well, possibly never more so during that increasingly totemic half-time confab at Manchester City. Attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson “will never forget what happened at City” with Dom:
laying into everyone, getting everybody going . . . He’s the guy who talks you though training and games, the guy who is there for you after bad games.[4]
But Leeds United’s revival has not just been the Dominic Calvert-Lewin show. Farke’s Damascene conversion to 3-5-2 has enabled other flowers to bloom. Our proficiency from set pieces has been a revelation with all four goals against Palace coming from two corner kicks and two long throws from Ampadou and crucial goals from Jakob Bijol in the win against Chelsea and that leveller by Tanaka against Liverpool. Our defensive flexibility has enabled James Justin, Jayden Bogle, and Gudjohnsen to function as extra attackers with no detriment to their sentry duties as defenders. Farke’s judicious use of substitutions (another former source of fan criticism) has enabled midfielder Ao Tanaka and Italian attacker Willy Gnonto to showcase their talents to their respective countries’ World Cup selectors. Farke has not shied away from difficult squad choices, once again drafting in the experienced Karl Darlow to replace the underperforming Brazilian Lucas Perri between the sticks; just as Ilan Meslier had to be sidelined for last season’s April promotion run in.
The last-minute winner against Fulham was particularly sweet since the fixture at Craven Cottage earlier in the season had resulted in a home win courtesy of a stoppage time own goal by Gudjohnsen which settled a dour, defensive contest similar to Saturday’s proceedings. But both these outcomes as well as the late drama at St James Park and Elland Road involving Liverpool tell us an essential truth about the great but cruel game which fans love and hate in equal measures: What Football Giveth, Football Taketh.
References
[1] Louise Taylor Renaissance man Calvert-Lewin on track for England. Guardian Sport 3 January 2026
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
⏩Barry Gilheany is a freelance writer, qualified counsellor and aspirant artist resident in Colchester where he took his PhD at the University of Essex. He is also a lifelong Leeds United supporter.
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