In this Half-Term report series, we’re reviewing each Premier League team’s start to the season – and we continue here with Leeds United.
Daniel Farke’s side are sitting pretty in fifth, having made an unbeaten start to 2026/27.
But are things about to get tougher for the Whites, with the schedule looking trickier?
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RESULTS SO FAR
| GW | Result | Leeds’ xG | Leeds’ xGC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nottm Forest 0-1 Leeds | 0.47 | 0.66 |
| 2 | Leeds 1-1 Brentford | 1.46 | 1.67 |
| 3 | Brighton 1-1 Leeds | 2.49 | 2.19 |
| 4 | Leeds 4-1 Newcastle | 1.99 | 0.88 |
| 5 | Leeds 0-0 Crystal Palace | 1.31 | 1.06 |
Leeds haven’t conceded more than one goal in a game this season. In fact, no club has shipped fewer Premier League goals overall than the Whites (three).
Outside of the Newcastle match, when Daniel Farke’s troops ran riot, the goals haven’t really flowed at the other end, however.
There is a feeling that the Premier League is tighter than ever before, and you can see with the xG figures above how keenly contested most of Leeds’ games have been. Ignoring the trouncing of the Magpies, the Whites’ match xG differences have been 0.19, 0.21, 0.30 and 0.25. Not much in it.
XG/XGC RANK V OTHER TEAMS
| Total | Rank v other clubs | |
|---|---|---|
| xG | 7.72 | 9th= |
| xGC | 6.46 | 5th |
The underlying numbers have been better from a defensive perspective.
Leeds, despite a fairly favourable start, are bottom-eight material for shots (60), efforts in the box (40), big chances (10) and attempts on target (17).
Expected goals-wise, they’re mid-table, but there’s some disparity between open-play xG (4.56, ranked 15th) and set-piece xG (3.16, ranked 3rd).
At the back, only three sides have allowed fewer big chances (10).
Again, there’s the stark contrast between xG conceded from open play (4.0, ranked 3rd) and set plays (2.5, ranked 17th).
LINE-UP LESSONS
Seven Leeds players are ever-present starters this season, while Gabriel Gudmundsson (£4.5m) very likely would have been another had he not been injured at the beginning of 2026/27. Similarly, Noah Okafor (£5.8m) was a substitute in Gameweek 1 for fitness reasons but has started every match since.
The big unenforced change has come in defence, with Jaka Bijol (£5.0m) hooked at half-time in Gameweek 2 and subsequently losing his place. New boy Nico Elvedi (£4.5m) has taken his spot.
With Joe Rodon (£4.3m) a medium-term absentee, James Justin (£4.5m) has switched from left wing-back to centre-half. Justin had been deputising for Gudmundsson up until that point.
Ao Tanaka (£4.9m) has displaced Brenden Aaronson (£5.3m) in midfield, but that’s a position you could see changing quite often. Longer term, Farke may hope to reintroduce the injured Harry Wilson (£6.2m) at Tanaka’s expense, with Anton Stach (£6.0m) operating with more of a defensive remit. Wilson hasn’t really settled yet following his summer move.
SET-PIECE TAKERS
| Corners | Stach (17), Wilson (5) |
| Crosses from free-kicks | Stach (5), Wilson (2) |
| Shots from direct free-kicks | Stach (4) |
| Penalties | n/a |
Wilson’s quick demotion to substitute duty, plus his subsequent absence, has helped Stach resume almost total control at set plays.
He’s second among all Premier League players for direct free-kick attempts (four), one of which found the net.
TOP PLAYERS FOR DEFCONS
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OTHER HALF-TERM REPORTS
Arsenal (coming soon) | Aston Villa | Bournemouth | Brentford | Brighton | Chelsea | Coventry | Crystal Palace | Everton | Fulham | Ipswich | Leeds | Liverpool | Man City (coming soon) | Man Utd (coming soon) | Newcastle (coming soon) | Nottm Forest (coming soon) | Sunderland (coming soon) | Tottenham (coming soon)
