This win against Newcastle showed the whole team in the first half on the same page. The pass and move, the physicality and unpredictability tore Newcastle FC apart. The new signings show the shrewdness of Farke, with Leeds being one of the more stable clubs this season as others shed their players and managers pre-season. Farke is in a commanding position when it comes to his ongoing contract talks.
We all wondered exactly how this Leeds United squad would respond under the lights at Elland Road tonight following that frustrating second-half mauling at Stamford Bridge. Well, we got our answer. This was a match about Leeds creating big chances and three of the goals (plus Newcastle’s goal) scored with deflections. They all count.
The first half was Leeds at their absolute best—not just the best we’ve seen this season, but arguably the best football we’ve played for most of last season, too. Leaving Newcastle in total tatters, this 4-1 victory rockets us up to third in the Premier League table with 8 points from our first four matches.
The improved performance this season was down to our wide play and structural unpredictability. Farke clearly wants more rotation, and we saw it tonight. Jayden Bogle was the star man early on, testing Lukas Hornicek with a cheeky couple of shots. He has evolved into a sort of “secret forward,” regularly joining James Justin in the penalty box to overload the Newcastle defence. On the opposite flank, Noah Okafor was a handful with his pace. His crossing has improved immensely—much more accurate and giving our forwards genuine, high-quality chances.
The pressing was physical with Leeds overwhelming Newcastle. We were winning second balls across the park and marauding forward in waves, registering 5 shots on target before the break.
The floodgates opened just after the half-hour mark. Ao Tanaka forced the issue for the first goal, applying so much pressure that it ultimately took two Newcastle players—officially a Lewis Miley own goal—to scramble the ball over their own line.
Two minutes later, we had our second. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (DCL) towered above everyone in the box to meet a pinpoint Justin cross. The ball actually took a deflection off Bogle on its way in, though Bogle had no idea until half-time. Seeing DCL’s mock-shocked response when he found out Bogle was credited with the touch was a joy to watch.
Just before the whistle, DCL got a goal of his own. Showing rare control at his feet, he stepped around Sven Botman and slotted home (again with a slight deflection) to make it 3-0.
Newcastle predictably tried to fight back, making an early triple substitution to inject life into their squad. We responded in perfect style. Noah Okafor showed his sheer brilliance in the 59th minute, striking a sweet effort from a headed-out corner to make it four and put the game to bed.
From there, we dropped our intensity and spent a lot of the second half defending. The only real weak spot on the night was James Trafford. While he spent far too long dwelling on the ball and nearly got himself into deep trouble a couple of times, he completely redeemed himself as a pure shot-stopper.
With the team tiring at the end a lapse in focus allowed Bazoumana Touré to grab a late 90th-minute consolation for the visitors. Farke was fuming about it. But by then, the damage was completely done. Dan James came on to inject some late pace and had a few chances of his own—a fifth goal certainly wouldn’t have been undeserved.
Ethan Ampadu was commanding from deep in midfield and a constant menace with his long throws into the penalty box. He really should have scored in the first half, but , it was DCL who got in his way in his usual spot in the penalty box. Both players just laughed it off; they knew they had the game entirely by the scruff of the neck.
Tarik Muharemovic is one of Leeds hulks now in charge at the back. Newcastle relied heavily on long punts forward to bypass our press, but Muharemovic ate them up easily. He also produced a timely block when Lewis Hall really should have scored. Gabriel Gudmundsson looked like he was returning to his best, with one surging charge forward. Nico Elvedi found himself wandering into a prime scoring position, only to slice it wide and realise exactly why he makes a better defender than an attacker.
Where were Newcastle in all of this? Largely smothered. Yoane Wissa spent most of his evening trying his level best to dive for fouls, and their reputed fast counter-attacking game was completely nullified by our defensive transitions.
Farke was seen having intense, individual pep talks with the players at full-time, looking as though he was not happy with the loss of focus at the end.
Man of the Match: Jayden Bogle – proving that a modern full-back can be just as dangerous in the opponent’s penalty box as any traditional striker.
