Leeds and Newcastle played out a 0-0 draw at Elland Road on Saturday Night Football as the Magpies missed the influence of Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon.
Earlier in the day, Newcastle announced the signing of new striker Nick Woltemade, who was watching on from the stands, and they could have done with the towering striker on the pitch as the absence of attacking spark was keenly felt.
Isak remains out of the first team picture as he looks to engineer a move away from St James’ Park before Monday’s 7pm transfer deadline. Gordon served the first game of a three-match ban after his red card against Liverpool.
Leeds too failed to create any real opportunities and their promising moves often broke down with the final pass. As Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher put it: “It has been end to end, but with a real lack of quality.”
But their one shot on target was the best opening of the game. It came in the 90th minute as Dominic Calvert-Lewin was slotted through but his effort was seen away by Nick Pope’s studs.
Until that point, Newcastle had both of the shots on target of the game, Jacob Murphy the creator of each. The efforts, either side of half-time, were saved well by goalkeeper Lucas Perri.
The Magpies now have two points from their opening three Premier League games, both coming from goalless away draws. Leeds remain unbeaten at home so far this season in another solid display at Elland Road and move onto four points.
Howe: Unlike us to be poor up front
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe told Sky Sports: “I thought defensively, we were very strong. We’ve been really good in the three games so far in that respect, but we’ve got work to do at the other end of the pitch, which is really unlike us.
“We’ve historically been a really good attacking team, very free-scoring and very good at chance creation, but it hasn’t quite been there. We’re disappointed with that aspect of our play.
“I don’t want to sit here and say that is the only reason [absent players]. We have to do better with what we have, but when you lose the quality of players that we have from last season to this, Anthony Gordon is a big miss and Joelinton. Alex [Isak] is a huge player for us. so take those three players away and you’re going to suffer slightly.
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Eddie Howe says he is looking forward to the transfer window closing to see what his squad looks like for the rest of the season and spoke highly of new signing Nick Woltemade.
“But I still think we’ve got really good players on the pitch and we need to do better.”
On the transfer window: “We’re really looking forward to that clarity in terms of what our squad looks like… once we have that, we’ll move forward and I’m sure we can do really well this year.
“We’re really pleased with what we’ve done so far. I genuinely feel we’re a lot stronger squad-wise than we were last year.
“We’ve had an issue at the top end of the pitch so fingers crossed we might be able to do some more.”
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The best bits from Nick Woltemade’s 2024/25 season for Stuttgart after he sealed a move to Newcastle.
Farke: If we can keep up this points tally, I’ll organise my own bus tour next summer
Leeds manager Daniel Farke told Sky Sports: “I’m a happy man. Four points out of three really competitive games, two games here at home, two clean sheets. This is how you need to approach a new season, a newly promoted side, to be difficult to beat.
“We have played here today against one of the best sides in the Premier League, a side who has dominated on Monday [against Liverpool] with 11, but also with 10 men. We were pretty competitive and it was a tight game.
“We made it difficult for Newcastle to have chances. This is always the base, and the next steps will follow, but I didn’t expect that we would come right now.
“If we can keep this points average then I will organise my own bus tour next summer.
“We want to be the first side who breaks this curse of getting relegated as a newly promoted side more or less early in February and March, and we’re on a good path right now.
“But it’s a long road and we have to win many more points… we keep our foot on the gas and we have to keep going.”
Given: A tough week for Newcastle
Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given told Sky Sports: “It has been a tough week for Newcastle after losing to Liverpool on Monday night and having to play so long with 10 men, but they should have recovered by today.
“But I do not agree with the transfer window still being open with the season having started and football coaches want certainty.
“The window shuts on Monday and then they can concentrate on the rest of the season.”
