Leeds United secured another emphatic home victory on Saturday as they took on Crystal Palace. Heading into the fixture, the Whites were enjoying a three-match unbeaten streak, having collected valuable points against Chelsea and Liverpool.
Daniel Farke opted to make only one alteration from the lineup that earned a draw against Brentford last weekend. Dominic Calvert-Lewin broke the deadlock in the first half, before the forward added a second shortly before the interval.
Ethan Ampadu reacted fastest to a set-piece situation to make it 3-0 to Leeds. Palace managed to reduce the deficit from the penalty spot, but Anton Stach wrapped up a commanding 4-1 triumph with a superbly struck free kick.
Glasner slams his Crystal Palace side for Leeds United defeat:
Following the loss on Saturday evening, Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner was deeply frustrated with his team’s display, particularly their defending from dead-ball situations. All four of Leeds’ goals came from set pieces, some directly and others from second phases.
“Very disappointing today. Couldn’t defend set plays – honestly it’s embarrassing.” he said on Sky Sports.
“They played man-to-man and we lost every single duel. When you lose all the duels, it’s the basics, we didn’t show the basics.”
Glasner went on to expand on why he described the performance as ‘embarrassing’, with Palace continuing to struggle when defending set pieces in recent matches:
“It’s the fourth game in recent weeks losing from set-pieces. It looks like we’re not sharp enough and have to show a different set-up or mind set.
“If you defend like we did today you have no chance to get a point in the Premier League.”
Daniel Farke keeping Leeds alive in the fight for survival:
Daniel Farke deserves significant praise for Leeds’ recent run of form. His tactical adjustments, including the switch to a 3-5-2 system, played a key role in the victory over Chelsea. When the Whites found themselves under pressure against Liverpool, he reverted to a 4-2-3-1 setup and managed to salvage a draw.
Leeds have now collected eight points from a possible 12, and with West Ham suffering defeat on Saturday, they are increasing the distance between themselves and the relegation places. This leaves them in a strong position as they move into the second half of the campaign.