Leeds United are looking to buck a trend this season. When newly promoted sides come up from the Championship, they are not given a hope of surviving in the Premier League.
Yet, this term looks different. Sunderland are already safe, while Daniel Farke‘s men are very nearly there. Securing a rare away win over Aston Villa on Saturday would have helped significantly but alas, they had to settle for a point.
It was a brilliant point for Leeds, though. They more than tested a side, as Farke said post-game, have been in the title race this season.
While the Whites are fighting a very different battle, they were more than a match for Unai Emery’s side and were perhaps unfortunate not to secure all three points.
How Leeds drew with Aston Villa
There have been some magic moments during Leeds’ season so far, particularly in recent times.
While that 4-0 defeat at Arsenal is something of an anomaly, that 2-2 draw with Chelsea was incredible, coming from two goals down to rescue a point courtesy of Lukas Nmecha and Noah Okafor.
Yet, the free-kick taken by Anton Stach on Saturday was perhaps the most magical event in their campaign yet.
The German has bagged three now this season, but this was the best yet. In truth, he had no right to find the net. Stepping up 30 yards from goal, Stach directed the ball to the top corner and beat Emiliano Martinez all ends up.
Leeds may not have that out-and-out ‘world-class’ player capable of lifting them to safety but they’ve found moments like that from players like Stach and the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin who are currently firing them to safety.
There has been a better sense of organisation to the Leeds team under Farke since the turn of the year and their performance, a gritty away display at Villa Park on Saturday, perfectly encapsulated that.
Stach was the star of the show, but he’s not the only one in Leeds colours to have caught the eye in recent weeks.
Summer signing is proving Leeds fans wrong
As Leeds won promotion, their transfer strategy was an intriguing one. While they did not spark excitement by bringing in a player of the calibre of Granit Xhaka like Sunderland did, they quietly went about this business to ensure Farke’s men were ready for the Premier League.
They did so by signing a number of big and physical players. The English top-flight is renowned for being a frantic affair, with Arsenal over recent years having built what Mikel Merino described as a team of basketball players.
Leeds followed a similar mantra last summer, welcoming the likes of Stach and Jaka Bijol to Elland Road. A number of their acquisitions were bargains too. Calvert-Lewin signed on a free transfer and has been nothing short of a revelation, netting ten goals in 26 games this term.
Acquiring Premier League experience was key and they did the same to bring James Justin to Yorkshire from Leicester City.
Yet, it wasn’t a move that was met with widespread acclaim, understandably too. Justin looked at the lower end of the spectrum when he signed. He was something of a 2/10 signing. While he is in his prime at the age of 27, he’s a player who didn’t look like a direct improvement on Jayden Bogle, someone who had been electric as Leeds secured promotion.
That’s not to mention Justin’s injury history. The Englishman did play 36 times in the league last term but has missed essentially two whole seasons’ worth of football with injuries in the past. In 2020/21, he suffered a cruciate ligament tear which meant the full-back missed 332 days and 48 games of football.
Then, in 2022/23, the defender was absent for 29 matches with an achilles tendon rupture. On that evidence, fans were right to question why they spent £8m on Justin.
However, after a slow start to life under Farke, he’s now proven to be a fabulous capture. Between 30th August and the end of 2025, he started just two league matches.
Since coming into the lineup on 1st January vs Liverpool, he has not left the starting XI, playing 90 minutes in eight of the nine league games during 2026. He even captained the team against Birmingham City in the FA Cup last weekend.
Why has Farke taken such a liking to him? Well, he’s been immensely versatile, playing all across the backline.
James Justin by position in 25/26
Position
Games played
Right-back
7
Centre-back
5
Right wing-back
3
Left wing-back
2
Left-back
2
Notably scoring against Everton, Justin perhaps saved one of his best performances in Leeds colours for the Midlands on Saturday, with Leeds Live’s Isaac Johnson suggesting it ‘must be a dream for Farke to have someone so versatile and consistent.’
The one-cap Englishman started the game at centre-back but later moved over to left-back, a demonstration of just how adaptable he is.
During the course of the game, he won all three of his tackles and prevailed in six of his eight defensive duels. Resolute, experienced, versatile and malleable, he looks like one of the best signings Leeds have made in years.
Related
Farke must bench Leeds star who had fewer touches than Darlow vs Villa
This Leeds star was poor in their 1-1 draw away to Aston villa