Their chronic failure to break down low blocks was somehow a stronger force than Leeds United’s tendency to self-destruct.
Flatness and apathy have become the norm in South London. Excitement has become a rarity, with exhaustion taking its place, while the occasional home win feels more like paper over the cracks than any kind of earned victory.
Sunday’s game embodied this sorry state of affairs. Palace failed to achieve a shot on target in 45 minutes against 10-man Leeds – the first Premier League team to do so since Opta records began in 2003/2004.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner during 0-0 draw against Leeds (Image: Keith Gillard)
Palace had just four shots on target last week against 10-man Spurs, five at home against Zrinjski Mostar, three against 10-man Wolves, three against Burnley, and three in the away victory at Brighton.
Creating chances is a persistent problem for Oliver Glasner’s side, and one that he has found difficult to address.
Yeremy Pino and Adam Wharton, two players typecast as Palace’s most creative, were introduced from the bench, but neither could provide the moment of magic needed to break down the Leeds United low block.
It was Leeds who had the best chance, Dominic Calvert-Lewin put a penalty embarrassingly wide in the first half after a Will Hughes handball.
Palace’s most concrete opportunities fell to Jean-Philippe Mateta, who snatched at the ball lethargically as he tries to get back to speed with Premier League football.
The team looked devoid of creative impetus despite an abundance of attacking talent on the pitch. This is a systemic problem, rather than a personnel one.
It is up to Glasner to find a solution ahead of Palace’s second leg against AEK Larnaca on Thursday, or risk a humiliating end to the club’s first-ever European campaign against a disciplined defensive side.
Jumbled Johnson
Analysis by Bruno Collingridge
With Daniel Munoz still recovering from a shoulder injury, Glasner opted for £30million signing Brennan Johnson to deputise for him at right wing-back – despite the Wales international having never played in defence before Thursday’s game against AEK Larnaca.
Nervous glances were shared by Palace fans after Lukas Nmecha glided past Johnson with ease in the third minute to produce Leeds’ first chance of the match. However, Johnson asserted himself not long after with an excellent sliding tackle on Gabriel Gudmundsson, shutting down yet another Leeds attack on their left-hand side.
The rivalry between the pair intensified as Johnson skipped past his counterpart on the right touchline, forcing a foul and a subsequent yellow card.
Gudmundsson looked uncomfortable playing against Johnson on a booking, with more space opening up for Johnson to cross into the box, and was eventually sent off after picking up a second yellow card.
Johnson’s most important contribution of the first half came when he swiped the ball out from under Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the six-yard box, who would have otherwise been one-on-one with Walter Benitez.
What should have been Johnson’s moment of the match – a gorgeous cross to Jefferson Lerma, which the Colombian converted on the second time of asking – was ruled out for an offside offence by the Welshman, who had stayed too far forward during an orchestrated corner routine.
Crystal Palace’s Jefferson Lerma has goal disallowed during goalless draw against Leeds (Image: Keith Gillard)
Johnson’s performance was not without controversy. After receiving a yellow card for a tactical foul on Pascal Struijk in the first half, Johnson cut down James Justin to prevent a Leeds counterattack. What would have been a justifiable second yellow was never brandished by referee Thomas Bramall, with the travelling fans erupting in protest.
With Johnson withdrawn soon after, it was not a performance significant enough to disturb Glasner’s starting XI upon the return of Munoz. Only time will tell where Johnson’s long-term role will be.
Bramall’s Blunder
Comment by Bobby Manzi
Referee Bramall will likely cringe when he watches the final minutes of the first half back. A miscalculated challenge from Gabriel Gudmundsson on Ismaila Sarr while Palace were in transition saw Bramall reach for his pocket and wield a yellow card.
That meant an early bath for the Swedish international, who had already been booked for wiping Brennan Johnson out down the flank.
Yet Brammall, standing there cluelessly, was none the wiser that he had already booked the defender. Sarr protested once he made it back to his feet and reminded Bramall that Gudmundsson had already been booked.
Leeds United’s Gabriel Gudmundsson is shown a red card by referee Thomas Bramall (centre) during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park, London. Picture date: Sunday March 15, 2026. (Image: PA)
Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Tyrick Mitchell and the raucous Selhurst Park crowd soon joined the remonstrations. Gudmundsson fled the scene of the crime – he could not believe his luck.
He was not to be that fortuitous, though. Brammall eventually got the red card out after some blank glances at his colleagues. This was a humiliating lack of concentration from the Premier League referee, who was booed at half time.
It is inexcusable for an official at this level to be unaware of who they have booked – especially when there were only three players on a card at that point.
Whether Gudmundsson should have seen red is debatable. If Bramall had realised he was already on a yellow, there is a chance he would not have shown another. It was soft, a coming together in midfield. It did not help that Palace were in transition, but even so, it seemed harsh.
Johnson escaped a dismissal for a much stronger challenge while on a yellow in the second half. Brammall’s inconsistency made an already dull affair even more gruelling to watch.