1st November 2025. EPL
That was, without a doubt, the worst Leeds performance of the season, and having now failed to score in eight consecutive visits to the Amex, one wonders what it is about the place that doesn’t suit us. In fact, we’ve been there ten times now, and we’re yet to win.
We have shown this season that, on our day, we can compete with most teams in the Premier League, and you have to think that, had we been at our best, getting something out of the Seagulls wasn’t beyond us, as their record before today was little different to our own. But we were so poor all over the pitch today that we really didn’t give ourselves a chance. Brighton are no mugs, of course; their victories against Newcastle, Man City, and Chelsea prove that, but we pretty much handed them this one on a plate.
Three times Brighton waltzed either around us or straight through us, and, much as we know how good both Jayden and Gabriel can be going forward, their defensive frailties were laid bare today for all to see. Jayden had a poor game, even going forward, to be fair.
The opening goal was a killer too, coming as early as the 11th minute and showing the home side exactly the best way to undo us. Credit to the Seagulls for the way they exploited the opening, but Gabriel Gudmundsson was completely undone by Yankuba Minteh and was then left out of position, allowing Mats Wieffer to get behind him and to pull the ball back for the 34-year-old Danny Welbeck to smash home from a couple of yards out, with three other Leeds defenders toppling over themselves on the goal line and a hapless looking Sean Longstaff trailing behind the action. A horrid goal to concede, but it also highlighted the sort of goal-poaching we have been lacking all season. I’m starting to wonder if we need to find a way to get Joel Piroe back in the side, for no other reason than he does seem to have the same sort of knack as old Welbeck has.
Leeds did have a spell of possession midway in the first half, but we looked totally lacking in inspiration, and everything we did was ponderous and predictable. Meanwhile, Brighton, each time they broke forward, looked pacey and dangerous, and they should really have grabbed a couple more goals as Welbeck curled a shot wide of the left post when we allowed him space, and then Minteh pulled a low shot wide of the other post when Jaka Bijol again backed off and invited him to shoot. Is Bijol a better bet than Pascal Struijk? I thought he was initially, but I’m no longer sure. Certainly Bijol shows less inclination to drive us forward than the Dutch Pirate often does, although Bijol does have that long diagonal ball in him, a bit like Coops used to do. Take your pick.
The one big Leeds chance came just before half-time when Noah Okafor, our best forward on the day by miles, got past his man, found Aaronson in the box, and he set up Sean Longstaff perfectly about 12 yards from goal. Sadly, a Brighton shoulder deflected the Longstaff shot well over the bar. He possibly took a touch he didn’t need to; you have to think more quickly in the Premier League and maybe Newcastle twigged that Sean can't quite cut it at this level.
Leeds looked bright at the start of the second half too, but we still had this tendency to back off and allow Brighton to take pot shots – Georgi Rutter almost made us pay for that when he fired a shot into the side netting. But then we were undone again just after the hour mark.
It was Minteh again, platting Gudmundsson’s legs. He got past our man to the byline, and his pull-back was then missed by Joe Rodon at the near post under a challenge, and that left Gomez all on his lonesome, six yards out to smash into an open net again. We don't track runners very well do weSix minutes later, the game was as good as over as Georgi Rutter did what we can only applaud and regret that we don’t have anyone to do the same for us anymore. This time, it was Jayden Bogle who was made to look very ordinary indeed, although the clipped pass to him from Lucas Perri had ‘hospital’ stamped all over it. Rutter was quickest to react to steal the ball initially, but Bogle then had ample chance to clear, but missed his kick like the worst kid in the playground team! That was Georgi’s invitation to find our byline again, shuffle easily past Ampadu and provide another perfect cut back. The unmarked Gomez was on hand again near the penalty spot to fire home. All three goals were defensive calamities, all very similar, and we have to sort that out, preferably before we arrive at the City Ground next Saturday.
We have to be better than this, and we have been mostly all season so there is no need to panic over this loss but some of our individual performances are becoming erratic from game to game - none more so than Brenden Aaronson. He was brilliant last week and even scored a goal, yet today he was back to that weak-looking player who too easily gets brushed off the ball. I wonder if it is time to sacrifice the obvious effort and energy he gives us for someone with more steel and grit about them.
A couple of terrific late saves, goal-saving saves, by Lucas Perri prevented Brighton from handing us our second 5-0 walloping of the season, but he and Noah Okafor are about the only Leeds players to come away from the Amex with any credit. Like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about the little girl with the little curl, "when we are good, we are very good indeed, but when we are bad, we are horrid."
One step forward last week against the Hammers, two back this week at the seaside. We need to find our ‘A’ game again before we arrive at the Forest. A win there suddenly looks to be essential, but they will be thinking exactly the same. Can we keep our heads above the water line, or are we about to start sinking?
Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion 3 (Welbeck 11’, Gómez 64’, 70’)
Leeds United 0
Brighton: Verbruggen (GK), Dunk (C), van Hecke, Rutter (Oriola 90’), Minteh (Kostoulas 88’), Baleba, Welbeck (Watson 81’), Kadioglu, Gómez (Tzimas 81’), Ayari (Knight 90’), Wieffer. Subs not used: Steele (GK), Boscagli, De Cuyper, Coppola.
Leeds: Perri (GK), Bogle (Justin 77’), Gudmundsson, Ampadu (C), Rodon, Longstaff (Stach 60’), Calvert-Lewin (Nmecha 65’), Aaronson, Bijol, Okafor (Harrison 77’), Tanaka (James 60’). Subs not used: Darlow (GK), Struijk, Piroe, Gruev.
Venue: American Express Stadium
Attendance: 31,512
Referee: Michael Oliver
Booked: Ampadu (Leeds)
