Leeds United vs Crystal Palace; Premier League
Leeds United vs Crystal Palace. Premier League.
Elland RoadAttendance36,334.
Leeds United 4
- D Calvert-Lewin (38th minute, 49th minute)
- E Ampadu (60th minute)
- A Stach (101st minute)
Crystal Palace 1
- J Devenny (92nd minute pen)
Leeds 4-1 Crystal Palace: Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the double as The Eagles fall to heavy defeat
Report and free match highlights as Dominic Calvert-Lewin's double inspires Leeds to superb 4-1 win over Crystal Palace; Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach also net for hosts while Justin Devenny pulls back late consolation
Saturday 20 December 2025 23:03, UK
Crystal Palace's tough week went from bad to worse as Oliver Glasner's decision to give his first team a midweek rest backfired as they were soundly beaten 4-1 at Leeds, who moved six points clear of the bottom three.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was again the star of the show as he continued his personal resurgence with a fine first-half double, netting for a fifth consecutive league game in a row - the joint-longest run of any Leeds player in Premier League history.
But Palace, who had already been consigned to the Conference League play-offs and lost 3-0 to Man City last weekend, continued their miserable post-European form at the worst possible time amid a potential run of nine games in 36 days. That will be all the more infuriating to Glasner given he made 11 changes from the side held by 10-man KuPS 48 hours earlier.
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The visibly-angered Palace boss Glasner told Sky Sports: "It's embarrassing and we couldn't match their physicality. It's the first game we have fully deserved to lose - the result is okay.
"I don't know the percentage of duels we won today but especially in the attack, we lost every single ball.
"We won one one-v-one duel and we got the penalty at the end. We didn't show the basics today and we thought we could play a little bit of football, pass the ball a little bit, but had no chance in the duels. And then you lose every single game."
Calvert-Lewin continued to make the case that he might be back to his best with a pair of striker's finishes to put Leeds in full control before the break, first tapping home the rebound from his own initial effort from a long throw.
His second was just as instinctive, gambling at the back post when Jaka Bijol flicked on another throw to guide a header beyond Dean Henderson seconds before the break.
Palace showed no signs of being roused by Glasner's half-time team talk and re-emerged just as ineffective from the interval, but it took until the hour mark for Leeds to make them pay again following more shoddy defending.
The visitors switched off from another set piece when a half-cleared corner was returned into the area, and after allowing a ball to bounce in their own box, Ethan Ampadu sneaked in to stroke home a third.
The one thing Leeds could ask for from that point was an elusive clean sheet, which would have been their first since August 30. But that proved one thing too many to ask for as Justin Devenny pulled one back for Palace from the spot after Lucas Perri had brought down Christantus Uche in the box in added time.
Leeds did not have long to dwell on their disappointment, though, as Anton Stach fired home a superb free-kick with practically the last kick of the game to crown Leeds' finest night since their return to the Premier League.
Calvert-Lewin: My belief has never wavered
Man of the match Dominic Calvert-Lewin on Sky Sports:
"In the six-yard box, that's where I need to be. When you're in a good moment and you've got the run, the ball starts dropping for you and that's where I am at the minute.
"The belief stays the same, my belief in myself is what I've always had. But when you start hitting the back of the net, it pays off in a different way.
"Nothing's changed for me, week on week I look to give my best for the team and continue to perform well."
Glasner vows to change set-piece approach
Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner on Sky Sports:
"To be honest, in the last few weeks this is the fourth game we lose from set plays. We have to change it, I will talk to my staff.
"I am responsible, I have to set us up in a better way. We lost at Strasbourg to a set piece, we conceded two to Man Utd from set pieces and Arsenal scored one from the second phase of a free-kick.
"You have to change something. Once it can happen, maybe twice but not four times."
Farke: I was nervous until last second!
Leeds head coach Daniel Farke on Sky Sports:
"We've played the best away team in the league, they had 16 points from eight away games and just five goals conceded.
"It was such a complicated game, it was a bit like a hybrid formation today, we played five men without the ball and four with it [at the back].
"You always have to be switched on to help the players to make the right decisions.
"I was always nervous, even until the last second - because that's football. We concede the penalty, they had another good chance, and strange things happen in football."
