Crystal Palace finally keep clean sheet as unbeaten Leeds settle for a goalless point

Crystal Palace ended a miserable defensive run in emphatic style at Elland Road on Sunday, with Pierre Sage's side producing a much-improved, disciplined display to hold unbeaten Leeds United to a goalless draw in the Premier League.

Palace arrived having conceded 11 goals in their opening four league games, and two or more in each of their previous 10 Premier League matches, yet kept their first clean sheet of the season against a Leeds side that had scored 12 goals across their previous five home league games. The valuable point lifted Sage's side one point clear of the relegation zone heading into the three-week international break, while Daniel Farke's hosts entered the pause in fifth place and still unbeaten after five matches.

Mixed emotions as Leeds fail to reproduce Newcastle form

Leeds, unbeaten coming into the game after Monday's impressive 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle, struggled to reproduce that attacking fluency. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had scored in each of his previous five Premier League home games, was largely starved of service for long periods and was eventually denied by Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez when the chances finally arrived.

It was a tentative game in the autumn sunshine, lacking intensity and quality, with Ao Tanaka snatching at a shot the closest anyone came to threatening a goal in the first half. Around the half-hour mark something akin to a football match broke out as nervousness was replaced by urgency, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Quinten Timber engineering a chance for the visitors that was blocked. Leeds broke through Noah Okafor down the left, but his cross was turned behind.

There was even a level of discontent inside Elland Road amid a ponderous home performance, with fans chanting “forward” as they failed to replicate Monday's fireworks. For good measure, referee Adam Herczeg, making his Premier League debut, awarded Leeds a corner after Benitez took too long to distribute the ball.

Mitchell's strike ruled out as Palace grow into the contest

Palace pushed the fast-forward button after the break and were the more threatening side, with Tyrick Mitchell putting the ball into the net from a fine move down the right. The glory turned to anguish when VAR intervened to show Anan Khalaili was offside in the buildup, causing an eruption inside Elland Road.

The warning caused a reaction from Leeds, and they were almost ahead when Calvert-Lewin's only real chance of the afternoon was saved brilliantly by Benitez, whose reaction stop denied the England striker after James Justin's cross picked him out. There was a touch of menace to proceedings as Tanaka and Adam Wharton were booked in quick succession, and Daichi Kamada could have won it late on but saw his header drift inches wide, while a penalty appeal after Ethan Ampadu's challenge was waved away.

Palace had late openings through Wharton's clever deliveries, with Eddie Nketiah and Ismaila Sarr combining, but Tarik Muharemovic made a crucial intervention to deny Jorgen Strand Larsen and a vital recovery to stop Nketiah after the striker had squared for Sarr.

Key moments from Elland Road

• 10 mins: Tarik Muharemovic makes a crucial tackle to deny Jorgen Strand Larsen after Quinten Timber slips the Palace striker through on goal.
• 22 mins: Ao Tanaka fires over from close range after Leeds' long throw causes problems in the Palace box.
• 53 mins: Tyrick Mitchell fires Palace in front after Anan Khalaili's cross, but VAR confirms Khalaili was offside in the buildup.
• 57 mins: Walter Benitez produces an excellent reaction stop to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin after James Justin's cross picks out the in-form striker.
• 83 mins: Adam Wharton's clever ball releases Ismaila Sarr into the area, but Justin recovers brilliantly to deny the substitute.

Farke: ‘It was important to extend the unbeaten run’

“You're always just 100 per cent happy once you win the game, and of course, we wanted after our nearly perfect start to win this home game. Football-wise, it was not our best performance, but we also played against a well structured side,” Farke told Sky Sports. “I think we were a bit too loose with the ball today, and in the execution in the opponent's half, in the final third.

“It was one of those days when you don't have your best performance-wise, but then you have to dig in and fight. It was also important to keep the clean sheet and extend the unbeaten run, and for that we take this point.”

Speaking after the game, Farke admitted to “mixed emotions”. “We would have preferred to win, but the reality is it is 38 game days,” he said. “It is not always magic nights under the floodlights, champagne football, you overrun the opponent and score goals for fun. Sometimes it is a scruffy Sunday afternoon when you have to dig in. This was one of these games.” On the attacking bluntness, he added: “We had many set-pieces today, but also today we didn't have the best quality of the delivery.”

Sage: ‘I think we deserve better’

“We worked a lot during the last week on this, and we tested on our game on Thursday, but I think it was better and better. We conceded less chances than before. We conceded a big one, and our keeper made a big save. So I have to congratulate Walter Benitez for that,” Sage said. “But at the end, during the game, not only the defensive part, but I think we deserve better.”

Asked whether Palace deserved to win, Sage replied: “Yes, I think because we create some chances and without scoring, the one that was cancelled by the VAR is normal because there's an offside. But it's a little bit frustrating because I think the players gave a lot in this game, and at the end they deserve something else than a draw.”

On the pressure of a difficult opening month, Sage was defiant: “Especially when I read the social media, there's a big pressure. But you know, I don't care about that. I do my job with honesty, I give my best with my skills and my limits. And in the end, I have no regrets with what I do.”

Analysis: Palace can take far more encouragement

Sky Sports' William Bitibiri felt the visitors shaded it after the interval: “They came out after the break with a completely different mindset and put Leeds under pressure. Leeds were strangely flat. In the end, 0-0 feels like a reflection of two sides who cancelled each other out, but Palace can take far more encouragement from this performance than Leeds can. For Sage, though, this is the sort of defensive display he will hope can become the foundation of a turnaround.”

Former defender Paul Robinson agreed: “I thought Palace were excellent after the break. Both goalkeepers had to make excellent saves, but we were limited to few goalscoring chances. We witnessed two sides cancelling each other out. Neither side has lost points, but have gained one.”

Off the pitch, Leeds boss Farke, into the final year of his contract, saw his stature continue to grow — Leeds are the fifth-best performing team in the division since December 2025 — and he is expected to be rewarded for bringing stability to the club for the second half of the campaign.