Good Morning. It's Monday 23rd March, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Leeds and Brentford cancel each other out in goalless draw
Leeds United nudged themselves four points clear of the Premier League’s drop zone after a drab 0‑0 draw with Brentford at Elland Road. Both teams spent the 90 minutes cancelling each other out, with the forwards on either end looking completely ineffective against well‑organised defences. The only genuine chances came from distance, Lukas Nmecha’s curling effort from outside the box forced Caoimhin Kelleher into a comfortable save, while after the break Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka tried their luck from similar ranges only to be denied again by the Brentford shot-stopper.
Brentford entered the match with a chance to climb to within a point of the top‑five, especially after Chelsea and Liverpool stumbled earlier on Saturday. Instead, they were forced to settle for a point that lifted them back up to seventh, while Leeds remain 15th. The Bees’ talisman, Igor Thiago, who is chasing his 20th league goal, was largely silenced by a disciplined Leeds back line and could do little more than blast a few shots wide.
The most frantic spell came in stoppage time when Leeds piled on a series of corners, desperate for a breakthrough that never materialised. In spite of winning possession seven times in the final third, their second‑best tally of the season, the Whites failed to produce a clear‑cut chance. Dominic Calvert‑Lewin, freshly recalled to the England squad, was virtually anonymous; he never received any kind of service to showcase his quality, though the same could be said about Thiago.
Not out of the Woods yet
Leeds have now gone six top flight games games without a win, a drought that stretches back to 6th February where a rampant Whites side demolished Nottingham Forest 3-1. It isn’t for lack of effort. Leeds have hounded and pressed, but created very little -that missing “spark” in the final third is becoming a glaring problem. The Whites now find themselves 19th in the form guide (over six games) with four points; only Spurs have a worse record.
In a league where the bottom six are separated by only a handful of points, Leeds will need to start finding the back of the net sooner rather than later, if they are to finish outside of the bottom three. They have not scored in four games (since Stach's wonderous free-kick), and have yet to play four of the five teams below them in the table (Burnley, Spurs, Wolves and West Ham). They must also navigate away trips to Old Trafford and the Vitality Stadium as well as a home tie against bogie side Brighton.
Two Brentford players left bloodied after assault
Two Brentford first‑team players found themselves bloodied on a Richmond street in the early hours of Sunday, after rushing to aid a man who appeared to be the victim of a racially motivated assault. The episode unfolded at around 02:00 hrs on Queen’s Road, Richmond, just as the squad were returning from their 0‑0 draw with Leeds. While neither player required medical treatment and were described as “completely healthy", eyewitnesses reported fresh cuts and bruises on their faces, a stark reminder that even well‑trained athletes are not immune to street‑level violence.
Metropolitan Police confirmed they attended the scene, engaged with the alleged victim and opened an investigation; no arrests have been made yet. The incident comes as Brentford sit seventh in the Premier League, two points shy of Chelsea and level with Everton, keeping European qualification within reach. With the international break looming, the club’s travel arrangements from Elland Road were left to the players themselves, underscoring how quickly a routine post‑match routine can turn into an unexpected act of civilian bravery.
