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OFFICIAL MATCH REPORT: LEEDS UNITED SECURES 4-1 WIN THROUGH CALVERT-LEWIN AND ANTON STACH MASTERCLASS

Leeds United extends its unbeaten streak to four matches with a 4-1 rout of Crystal Palace. Full tactical breakdown inside.

Official Match Report: Leeds United secures 4-1 win through Calvert-Lewin and Anton Stach masterclass
Track Leeds’ 3-4-3 defensive transitions

Leeds United gave their fans an early Christmas gift, totally dominating Crystal Palace, who had been on a good run.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice before halftime, putting Leeds ahead. Then, captain Ethan Ampadu scored from close range, and Anton Stach curled a fantastic free kick in to cap off the victory!

Daniel Farke only made one change from the team that got a point at Brentford last week, bringing Brenden Aaronson back as Leeds switched to a 3-4-3 formation.

On a foggy night, the game started at a packed and loud Elland Road, with the home team attacking right away.

Chances were rare until Ampadu's long throw found Joe Rodon via a touch from Calvert-Lewin. The centre-back's shot was deflected wide, and from the corner, his header went just past the post.

The visitors' first chance came soon after when Lucas Perri saved a low shot from former Leeds player Eddie Nketiah, who was set up by Jean-Philippe Mateta.

From another Stach set piece, Pascal Struijk's header narrowly missed the goal.

Leeds should have had a penalty when Aaronson was tripped in the box by Tyrick Mitchell.

But Leeds soon got their goal! From another Ampadu throw, Palace defender Chris Richards touched the ball first, but it then fell to Calvert-Lewin, who scored past Henderson to put United ahead with his fifth goal in as many games!

Later, Aaronson and Stach passed to Struijk on the edge of the box, but Richards deflected his powerful shot around the post.

Leeds ended the half strongly as another throw from Ampadu caused chaos in the Palace box.

Jaka Bijol flicked it to the far post, and Calvert-Lewin was there to head it home, doubling Leeds' lead at halftime!

Leeds came out strong and unchanged for the second half, pushing for a third goal with the crowd still loud.

From a corner won by Stach, the ball went to Gabriel Gudmundsson in the box, but Mateta blocked his shot.

Leeds kept up the pressure, and Palace had to defend desperately to clear the ball after Leeds' Swedish and American players combined down the left wing to send a low cross into the area.

Leeds kept getting corners, and one fell to Aaronson on the edge of the box. His header bounced to Ampadu, who scored from close range to put Leeds three goals ahead!

Leeds wanted more, and Noah Okafor passed to Rodon on the edge of the area, but his shot hit a defender and went just wide.

From the following set piece, there was chaos in the box. Struijk's header was barely saved by Henderson as players fell everywhere, and Palace somehow survived.

Then, from a quick break by Wilfried Gnonto, Calvert-Lewin would have had a hat trick if not for a last-ditch tackle.

As the game went into added time, Palace scored a goal. Substitute Christantus Uche won a penalty, and Justin Devenny scored.

But Leeds won a penalty of their own minutes later after Ilia Gruev was fouled. VAR ruled that the foul was outside the box, but it did not matter.

Stach scored his free kick, sending the Leeds fans home happy! The crowd, which had been singing all night, celebrated again.

The final whistle blew on a dominant win that extends Leeds' unbeaten run to four games before their trip to Sunderland next weekend.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

top-news
Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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