Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

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Aston Villa v Leeds United
Aston Villa
Aston Villa
1–1
Premier League
21/02/2026
Villa Park
⚽ Stach
Leeds United
Leeds United
All-time record vs Aston Villa
108
Played
32
Won
33
Drawn
43
Lost
-8
GD
30%
Win %
Away record
54
Played
12
Won
15
Drawn
27
Lost
-26
GD
22%
Win %
DateGroundScoreCompetition
23/11/2025 Elland Road 1–2 L Premier League ↗
13/01/2023 Villa Park 2–1 L Premier League ↗
02/10/2022 Elland Road 0–0 D Premier League ↗
10/03/2022 Elland Road 0–3 L Premier League ↗
09/02/2022 Villa Park 3–3 D Premier League ↗
All-time top scorers vs Aston Villa
#PlayerGoals
1 Tom Jennings 7
2 Lee Chapman 6
3 Charlie Keetley 5
4 Patrick Bamford 4
5 Jack Swan 3
Starting XI
Substitutes
Unused Substitutes
1 Perri
23 Bornauw
22 Tanaka
24 James
29 Gnonto
10 Piroe
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1964white
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by 1964white »

Irish Ian wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 5:48 pm Indeed. In fact while they did push us back for a lot of the second half we never looked like conceding.
We always look like conceding in the final minutes.

Losing markers at the back post.
Our defenders not winning the second ball, generally stood around ball-watching.
Crosses constantly flying across our box from both flanks,
Rash clearances.
Concede possession due to poor panicky passes.
Mis-tackles.
Giving silly fouls away, inviting more pressure.

All parts of our game that leads inevitably to so many goals, unfortunately.

Clean sheets are few & far between, due to the reasons above.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Irish Ian »

Hot news from the team meeting at Villa Park.

Leeds players have vowed

FROM THIS MOMENT HENCEFORTH.Feb 212026

To.
1. Stop scoring first as this is obviously A VERY BAD THING.
2. Stop trying to be in game contention come the last quarter of the game.

If the other team don't need to score a late goal, it was claimed,then they won't try. If they don't try.... you get the point.. ok

Instead they have vowed to be absolutely awful from minute one ( some claimed this was actually trialled at Stamford Bridge weeks ago) The team agreed that truth be told, they get paid anyway, will not need run so much, never mind throw your bodies on the line and risk injury or a dirty pair of shorts.

Farke agrees to this new approach as he is stated that the sooner he gets fired the sooner he gets to walk away with a fully paid up contract and he can get back to his favourite pass time. Traybakes on the settee
The reason he didn't last as long at Norwich before his P45 arrived was actually a strategic move. Sources close to Carrow Road reveal that Delia made the cakes there and they were in Daniel words "Der Misthaufen"

This new strategy will apparently be unleashed on Citeh next week but because they are dead good it may be hard to tell..
'
"Football is about the people and the players,” he said. “Then there are those who will mingle in the middle: the coaches, executives and journalists. That last group represents the worst part about football" Marcelo Bielsa
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by CHAPELALLMAN »

1964white wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 6:25 pm We always look like conceding in the final minutes.

Losing markers at the back post.
Our defenders not winning the second ball, generally stood around ball-watching.
Crosses constantly flying across our box from both flanks,
Rash clearances.
Concede possession due to poor panicky passes.
Mis-tackles.
Giving silly fouls away, inviting more pressure.

All parts of our game that leads inevitably to so many goals, unfortunately.

Clean sheets are few & far between, due to the reasons above.
it become self-fulfilling I guess.

You can imagine our opponent's manager giving his half time talk ; " don't ease up on the pressure lads - especially in the final 10 mins plus injury time. They concede more goals than any other side late in games. Don't let them off the hook late on - go for the jugular. "
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by CHAPELALLMAN »

1964white wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 6:25 pm We always look like conceding in the final minutes.

Losing markers at the back post.
Our defenders not winning the second ball, generally stood around ball-watching.
Crosses constantly flying across our box from both flanks,
Rash clearances.
Concede possession due to poor panicky passes.
Mis-tackles.
Giving silly fouls away, inviting more pressure.

All parts of our game that leads inevitably to so many goals, unfortunately.

Clean sheets are few & far between, due to the reasons above.

Who are our defensive coaches ?
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by CHAPELALLMAN »

From AI ;

" In the 2025–26 season, Leeds United have lost a lead (dropped points from a winning position) in 11 matches across all competitions.
In the Premier League specifically, they have dropped a total of 24 points from winning positions, which is the 6th highest tally in the league this season. This trend includes 6 draws and 4 losses in league matches where they scored first or held a lead.

Match Breakdown: Leads Lost (2025–26)
Date Opponent Competition Lead(s) Held Final Result

26 Aug 2025 Sheffield Wednesday EFL Cup 1–0 1–1 (L on pens)
27 Sept 2025 AFC Bournemouth Premier League 1–0, 2–1 2–2 (Draw)
04 Oct 2025 Tottenham Hotspur Premier League 1–0 1–2 (Loss)
23 Nov 2025 Aston Villa Premier League 1–0 1–2 (Loss)
29 Nov 2025 Manchester City Premier League 1–0, 2–1 2–3 (Loss)
06 Dec 2025 Liverpool Premier League 1–0, 2–1, 3–2 3–3 (Draw)
14 Dec 2025 Brentford Premier League 1–0 1–1 (Draw)
28 Dec 2025 Sunderland Premier League 1–0 1–1 (Draw)
07 Jan 2026 Newcastle United Premier League 1–0, 2–1, 3–2 3–4 (Loss)
10 Feb 2026 Chelsea Premier League 1–0, 2–1 2–2 (Draw)
21 Feb 2026 Aston Villa Premier League 0-1 1-1 (Draw)
Key Statistics

Most Points Dropped: Leeds notably became the second team in Premier League history to lead three separate times in a single match and still lose (3–4 vs Newcastle on 7 January 2026).

League Impact: These dropped points have kept Leeds in 15th place (as of 21 February 2026); had they maintained even half of those leads, they would be competing for a top-half finish.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by DDB220 »

Was working so I have only seen a few mins of highlights.

Great point away from home yet again against a team near the top of the league.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Pullhard »

CHAPELALLMAN wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 5:42 pm Didn't watch it live, but a few seemed to be saying that we were playing deeper and deeper..
Villa were also throwing the kitchen sink at us for the last 20 mins
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Finnatic »

Pullhard wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 7:11 pm Villa were also throwing the kitchen sink at us for the last 20 mins
It was more in desperation rather than them being good though and the was an element of good fortune with the equaliser, I thought.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Victor_OTT_17 »

Johnthewhite wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 5:04 pm Or a point won
Glass half empty or half full :scar1
Point won? We were 2 minutes away from 3 points 🤣
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weasel wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2026 4:35 pm Are you dense?
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Victor_OTT_17 »

Sean_Nile wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 5:35 pm and the alternative is to go for it and then get ripped at the back and lose the game.
Rather lose going for it than sitting back on a 1-0 lead! You don’t half post some 5h1te…
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weasel wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2026 4:35 pm Are you dense?
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Cjay »

Barlow Boy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 5:47 pm [media] [/media]
Game management :duno:
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by herefordbornleedsboy »

CHAPELALLMAN wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 6:44 pm From AI ;

" In the 2025–26 season, Leeds United have lost a lead (dropped points from a winning position) in 11 matches across all competitions.
In the Premier League specifically, they have dropped a total of 24 points from winning positions, which is the 6th highest tally in the league this season. This trend includes 6 draws and 4 losses in league matches where they scored first or held a lead.

Match Breakdown: Leads Lost (2025–26)
Date Opponent Competition Lead(s) Held Final Result

26 Aug 2025 Sheffield Wednesday EFL Cup 1–0 1–1 (L on pens)
27 Sept 2025 AFC Bournemouth Premier League 1–0, 2–1 2–2 (Draw)
04 Oct 2025 Tottenham Hotspur Premier League 1–0 1–2 (Loss)
23 Nov 2025 Aston Villa Premier League 1–0 1–2 (Loss)
29 Nov 2025 Manchester City Premier League 1–0, 2–1 2–3 (Loss)
06 Dec 2025 Liverpool Premier League 1–0, 2–1, 3–2 3–3 (Draw)
14 Dec 2025 Brentford Premier League 1–0 1–1 (Draw)
28 Dec 2025 Sunderland Premier League 1–0 1–1 (Draw)
07 Jan 2026 Newcastle United Premier League 1–0, 2–1, 3–2 3–4 (Loss)
10 Feb 2026 Chelsea Premier League 1–0, 2–1 2–2 (Draw)
21 Feb 2026 Aston Villa Premier League 0-1 1-1 (Draw)
Key Statistics

Most Points Dropped: Leeds notably became the second team in Premier League history to lead three separate times in a single match and still lose (3–4 vs Newcastle on 7 January 2026).

League Impact: These dropped points have kept Leeds in 15th place (as of 21 February 2026); had they maintained even half of those leads, they would be competing for a top-half finish.
This is why you dont trust AI...

Man City- went 2-0 down and pulled back to 2-2. Never ahead in the game

Liverpool- went 2-0 down pulled back to 2-2, went 3-2 down last minute equaliser.

Chelsea- went 2-0 down and drew 2-2

Brentford- went 1-0 down and pulled back to 1-1

Sunderland- might be misremembering this but believed we also pulled this back from 1-0 down

We often talk about losing from winning positions (and rightfully so) but very rarely talk about points gained from losing positions (like the 5 above) without those results we are 1 point above West Ham.

A good point on the road, cant even put the equaliser down to sitting back, losing energy or the usual mentioned issues. It was a fluky goal from a corner not like we got cut open.

5 points from the last 3 games. Once City is done, we have some very winnable games coming in our last time.

10-11 points from here does it I think.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Pullhard »

CHAPELALLMAN wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 6:38 pm it become self-fulfilling I guess.

You can imagine our opponent's manager giving his half time talk ; " don't ease up on the pressure lads - especially in the final 10 mins plus injury time. They concede more goals than any other side late in games. Don't let them off the hook late on - go for the jugular. "


We put on our balaclavas and walked out of Stamford Bridge with a point in our previous away game.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by CHAPELALLMAN »

Just on a different subject - why do some people keep using the term " hate " if a fan criticises say something to do with a manager or a player ? For me " hate " is what happens in places such as the Ukraine. Here's an AI answer ;

" Calling someone a "hater" for simply disagreeing is often a defensive tactic used to protect one's ego or to quickly dismiss uncomfortable feedback. While some critics are genuinely malicious, the label is frequently misapplied to anyone offering an opposing view.

Common reasons for this behaviour include:

Ego Defence: People may label critics as "haters" to avoid the pain of being wrong or the feeling of being devalued. It is a way to protect their self-esteem by attributing negative motives to the other person rather than addressing the critique.

Cognitive Shortcuts:
The term acts as a "one-size-fits-all" retort that allows someone to win an argument without having to counter specific points. It simplifies a complex debate into a binary of "supportive friends" vs "irrational enemies."

Identity Threat: When a belief is tied to a person's identity, a disagreement feels like a personal attack. Calling someone a "hater" reframes the critic as someone who is fundamentally flawed or jealous, making their opinion irrelevant.

Cultural Influence: The modern slang origin of "hater" (and phrases like "haters gonna hate") comes from 1990s hip-hop culture, where it originally referred to people who were jealous of others' success. This has evolved into a general cultural shield used to ignore any form of negativity.

Projection:
Sometimes, the person using the label is projecting their own insecurities. By accusing a critic of being driven by "hate" or jealousy, they mask their own fear that the criticism might actually be true.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by CHAPELALLMAN »

herefordbornleedsboy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 7:38 pm This is why you dont trust AI...

Man City- went 2-0 down and pulled back to 2-2. Never ahead in the game

Liverpool- went 2-0 down pulled back to 2-2, went 3-2 down last minute equaliser.

Chelsea- went 2-0 down and drew 2-2

Brentford- went 1-0 down and pulled back to 1-1

Sunderland- might be misremembering this but believed we also pulled this back from 1-0 down

We often talk about losing from winning positions (and rightfully so) but very rarely talk about points gained from losing positions (like the 5 above) without those results we are 1 point above West Ham.

A good point on the road, cant even put the equaliser down to sitting back, losing energy or the usual mentioned issues. It was a fluky goal from a corner not like we got cut open.

5 points from the last 3 games. Once City is done, we have some very winnable games coming in our last time.

10-11 points from here does it I think.
The AI didn't reverse the scores for away games, making away games read like home games. I couldn't be bothered to change them all, but I added today's game ( which it missed ) and reversed the figures. Taking that into account, the Brentford figures for one were correct.
Last edited by CHAPELALLMAN on Sat Feb 21, 2026 7:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Cjay »

CHAPELALLMAN wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 7:42 pm Just on a different subject - why do some people keep using the term " hate " if a fan criticises say something to do with a manager or a player ? For me " hate " is what happens in places such as the Ukraine. Here's an AI answer ;

" Calling someone a "hater" for simply disagreeing is often a defensive tactic used to protect one's ego or to quickly dismiss uncomfortable feedback. While some critics are genuinely malicious, the label is frequently misapplied to anyone offering an opposing view.

Common reasons for this behaviour include:

Ego Defence: People may label critics as "haters" to avoid the pain of being wrong or the feeling of being devalued. It is a way to protect their self-esteem by attributing negative motives to the other person rather than addressing the critique.

Cognitive Shortcuts:
The term acts as a "one-size-fits-all" retort that allows someone to win an argument without having to counter specific points. It simplifies a complex debate into a binary of "supportive friends" vs "irrational enemies."

Identity Threat: When a belief is tied to a person's identity, a disagreement feels like a personal attack. Calling someone a "hater" reframes the critic as someone who is fundamentally flawed or jealous, making their opinion irrelevant.

Cultural Influence: The modern slang origin of "hater" (and phrases like "haters gonna hate") comes from 1990s hip-hop culture, where it originally referred to people who were jealous of others' success. This has evolved into a general cultural shield used to ignore any form of negativity.

Projection:
Sometimes, the person using the label is projecting their own insecurities. By accusing a critic of being driven by "hate" or jealousy, they mask their own fear that the criticism might actually be true.
It's a strange narrative on here always has been.

As if poor Daniel can't be criticised.

And yet Arsenal fans hammer Arteta.

Villa fans have hammered Emery (and probably are now).

Chelsea fans and Leicester fans didn't like Maresca.

Cov fans have complained about Lampard.

Man City fans Pep.

And yet any whisper of anything but love for Saint Daniel makes you a hater.

Every manager gets criticised, no matter how successful.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by CHAPELALLMAN »

Cjay wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 7:51 pm It's a strange narrative on here always has been.

As if poor Daniel can't be criticised.

And yet Arsenal fans hammer Arteta.

Villa fans have hammered Emery (and probably are now).

Chelsea fans and Leicester fans didn't like Maresca.

Cov fans have complained about Lampard.

Man City fans Pep.

And yet any whisper of anything but love for Saint Daniel makes you a hater.
Some people are not emotionally mature enough to handle debate, or even to try and understand what it is. So they try to shut it down by labelling people with different views as " haters " etc. It's the thin end of the wedge of what goes on in the world..

As the saying goes ; " I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. "
Last edited by CHAPELALLMAN on Sat Feb 21, 2026 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by Madron »

herefordbornleedsboy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 7:38 pm

10-11 points from here does it I think.
Doubt its that much.
Hammers aint winning 6 of their remaining 11 matches.
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by weasel »

Jaydog wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 6:02 pm They dont call me the Big Dog for nothing.
Are you Peter Schmeichel?
Cjay wrote: ↑Sat May 17, 2025 4:23 pm I've pretended to support a team that's been crap for most of my life as part of a long term plan
Victor_Notts-17 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:03 pm Did you post them because there's something wrong with your brain
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Re: Aston Villa v Leeds United Match Thread

Post by weasel »

ElKapitan wrote: ↑Sat Feb 21, 2026 5:49 pm Farke used to get abused for making sub's on 80 minutes.... Its his prerogative as a manager but it is clear that listening to interviews with more successful managers there are two trains of thought on it. Subs on 60 mins gives more time for fresh legs to pay dividends and players to get into the game..... Keeping the same players on for longer allows for no drop in consistency while players get up to speed..... Pick your poison kind of choice.

Sub's of key players who are instrumental to the way we play even if tired weakens us to dramatic effect often forcing us to sit deep......

DCL even for nmecha means we have no outlet for long balls to relive pressure with the knock on effect we have more running/defending to do and more chances to concede.

Stach is another whose height wins us so many second balls.... And cuts out counters so often....
Ampadu is another..... (Rarely subbed).

Its less an attack on farke than on our board for not signing like for like cover..... A big tall forward like who forest signed on loan and who scored against us is a prime example.

My issue is that we crumble so often late on in games that there has to be a reason why..... This stands out even amongst promoted sides.

9 goals or more now in the last 10 mins with the most points dropped from winning positions.... For me I think its late sub's with a completely different style of player brought on causing gaps in our play that players don't adapt to quick enough to spot.

Today Stach for Long staff..... Both very good players but with very different profiles. They moved the remaining midfield over meaning gruev replaced starch in effect. A tired gruev at that who isn't even in the same ball park physically/athletically as stach. The knock on for the goal was in the area stach covered earlier in the game. Not saying its definitive but definitely more likely for me that he would have won the second ball.

On the whole though brilliant performance and farke needs a lot of credit for outdoing unai away with the players they have.... Brilliant performance. Just frustrated we can't get over the line and make these chances count.
I may be wrong but I don't think Stach was subbed that often when fully fit - albeit I think he has come back from injury two or three times this season. I think he was running on fumes by the time he was subbed and don't think the sub effected the game- like you say Stach might have helped clear the ball but no guarantee he would have been in that position.

I think as a manager you tend to have your key players that you don't take off. Rodon. Ampadu being our prime examples and I would probably add DCL to that as he has finished quite a few matches of late so I think Farke likes to keep him on whenever possible and the match dictates it (i.e. like today it gives us an outlet) - however with DCL Farke sometimes errs on the side of caution whereas with Rodon and Ampadu they'd have to have a serious injury before they would allow themselves to be dragged off.

I wonder if the reason we concede important late goals is because we aren't clinical and don't put the games to bed. Get the second today and maybe we win 2-0 or 3-0.
Cjay wrote: ↑Sat May 17, 2025 4:23 pm I've pretended to support a team that's been crap for most of my life as part of a long term plan
Victor_Notts-17 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2026 7:03 pm Did you post them because there's something wrong with your brain
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