Leeds United have not scored in four Premier League games but a 0-0 draw at home against Brentford opened the gap to the relegation zone to four points.
Whether it proves to be a vital point or a missed chance for a big win will depend on what happens in the run-in but the full-time whistle drew a mixed reaction.
Here, The Athletic’s Beren Cross breaks down what happened and where it leaves Leeds.
Where does this leave Leeds?
Daniel Farke is bound to point out this was another point on the board in the quest for Premier League safety. With their nearest rivals to play on Sunday, Leeds have ended the day further from danger than they started it, but it’s easy to see how the draw can be punished on Sunday.
At least one of Tottenham Hotspur or Nottingham Forest are guaranteed to close their gap on Leeds. Meanwhile, a resurgent West Ham United travel to an out-of-form Aston Villa, with the chance to close the gap to one point on Leeds.
Leeds remain ahead of the point-per-game average they wanted this season, but the walls will feel much closer by the end of the weekend. As with so many of the draws Leeds have played out since December, it’s hard to know what the cost of this will be until mid-May.
This draw piles the pressure onto United’s remaining three home games. If they still need six or seven points to stay up, there are about half a dozen eggs sitting in the baskets for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley’s visits.
Was Farke too slow to make changes?
This was a turgid, joyless spectacle for both sets of fans, let alone neutrals watching on television. In what boiled down to a competition to find the longest throw and most undeserved foul, neither goalkeeper was asked an especially difficult question.
Leeds, winless in five league games and playing in arguably their most preferred circumstances, under the lights at Elland Road, never looked like cracking the Brentford safe for any prolonged spell. With no injuries and only one absentee, the suspended Gabriel Gudmundsson, Farke has not had a stronger bench all season.
Pascal Struijk and Brentford’s Igor Thiago collide (Photo: Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images)
And yet, the manager did not see fit to alter any of the personnel at half-time, following a blunt first half. Very little changed in the first 10 minutes of the second half, nor the second 10 minutes of the second half, but still, the line-up remained undisturbed.
Once again, Farke stuck to his preferred time slot around the 70th minute. Noah Okafor and Ao Tanaka emerged in the 69th minute. It felt like more than enough had been seen by then, to justify rolling the dice sooner.
Did Leeds look like scoring?
It is now one goal from open play in six matches for Leeds and even that came from an embarrassing mix-up in the Chelsea defence at Stamford Bridge. It’s four games without a goal of any description and nothing on Saturday night suggested that pattern is about to change.
It was clear what Brentford came to do. This was the first time Keith Andrews has started with a five-man defence since he took his side to Arsenal on December 3. They sat in, swamped their half of the pitch and asked the hosts to break them down.
Leeds could not do that. There were long-range sighters from Okafor, Ethan Ampadu, Lukas Nmecha and Tanaka, but nothing to raise Caoimhin Kelleher’s heart rate. This was a long night of watching waves harmlessly break off a cliff face.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin again looked isolated. Whenever he did get change from one of the three centre-backs, there was rarely anyone in white to take the ball forwards. Fans will hope the international break resets the United attack.
What did Farke say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Leeds?
Sunday, April 5: West Ham (Away), FA Cup quarter-final, 4.30pm UK, 11.30am ET