Heading into this away contest at Molineux, Leeds United had only managed to score one paltry goal all season long in the Premier League.
Obviously, only four games had been done and dusted at that point, which definitely gives some needed context to that worrying statistic, but it would have troubled Daniel Farke and Co. all the same.
Now, however, the Whites have shrugged off that monkey on their back in style with a first-half flurry of goals, going on to hand Leeds a mighty 3-1 win away at bottom of the table Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin would kick off the goalscoring with an expertly put-away header, but it was the other goalscorers on the day in Anton Stach and Noah Okafor, that really stole the show, away from the former Everton man finally opening his Whites account.
Okafor & Stach's performances vs Wolves
The goal-shy number nine would, thankfully, set the tone for a spirited Leeds comeback, though, with a Jayden Bogle cross being gobbled up by the ex-Toffees marksman with just half an hour on the clock.
Leeds had plenty of time, therefore, to fight back from Ladislav Krejci’s early opener, and the fight back was complete when Stach showed off his class when hammering home a free-kick just nine minutes after the contest was levelled.
Away from bagging his first-ever Whites strike in some style, the former Hoffenheim star also showed off a battling edge during the rest of the clash, with the number 18 winning five ground duels to be a commanding presence centrally, as per Sofascore.
He also got in on the act again when teeing up Okafor for the game-clinching strike at 3-1, with the Swiss international played perfectly into space just moments after Stach beat Jose Sa to put the game beyond doubt, even for Leeds’ nervy standards.
On the stroke of half-time, the tricky number 19 would confidently place an effort past the busy Old Gold number one, with Okafor then going to successfully complete a wild six dribbles across the rest of the contest as a livewire presence on the right flank.
With three new signings all scoring, Farke will believe Leeds’ near future is bright, with another fresh purchase also standing out defensively to make Leeds’ widespread summer spending look even more worthwhile.
The 9/10 sensation who is Farke's "best player"
Leeds desperately needed this pick-me-up on their travels, having succumbed to a late defeat last time out on the road to Fulham by the cruellest of last-ditch goals.
Indeed, it was a Gabriel Gudmundsson own goal that would separate the two sides on the day. However, you couldn’t tell in the West Midlands that the Swede was entering into this away affair with this moment weighing heavily on his mind, with the number three one of Leeds’ best performers overall.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
74
Accurate passes
44/51 (86%)
Accurate long balls
3/7
Successful dribbles
1/2
Clearances
8
Interceptions
2
Total duels won
4/11
That was the glowing assessment given by journalist Beren Cross, anyway, who stated during the action-packed first-half that Gudmundsson was “Leeds’ best player” for both his defensive grit and his passing range, with the table above certainly backing up Cross’ compelling argument.
As noted above, the reinvigorated Scandinavian would see out the frantic affair with eight clearances registered on top of four duels being successfully won to snuff out many a Wolves foray forward in the second half.
But, the impressive left-footer also only misplaced seven of his 51 passes on the day, which was a better tally than Stach managed – who came in at 31 accurate passes – despite pulling the strings in the middle.
Gudmundsson’s compliments aren’t over here either, with Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth also hailing the 26-year-old’s showing as an ‘excellent all-round’ display, leading to a deserved 9/10 post-match rating coming his way.
While there were many smiles from ear to ear at full-time regarding both Okafor and Stach getting off the mark, the biggest grin of them all might well come from Gudmundsson’s display, after the horror show he endured at Craven Cottage.
Farke must now drop Longstaff to finally unleash Leeds "tiger" instead
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke should drop Sean Longstaff to unleash this star against Wolves.
ByDan Emery