Leeds United's Christmas miracle provides 'blueprint' for Premier League survival

Leeds United remain in a battle against relegation from the Premier League despite securing an impressive home win against Crystal Palace to move six points clear of the drop zone.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin led the way with a brace and there was a goal apiece for midfield duo Anton Stach and Ethan Ampadu as the Whites saw off Oliver Glasner’s side and gave themselves some breathing space to the relegation zone ahead of a festive away double-header with former Championship promotion rivals Sunderland and reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.

Those challenging fixtures precede a home game against Manchester United as 2026 gets underway with a bang at Elland Road and that will hopefully kickstart what Whites supporters will hope will be a positive year for their beloved club. Farke’s men are far from alone in the battle to avoid the drop with Wolverhampton Wanderers looking all but consigned to relegation and the likes of Burnley, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest also remain in danger of spending next season in the Championship.

There are still fears Leeds will remain in the relegation mix until the end of the season and there will be a nervous second half of the season lying in wait. The win against Palace extended their unbeaten run to a fourth game and the YEP’S Graham Smyth believes the performance has set the ‘blueprint’ for a successful push away from the bottom three.

What has Graham Smyth said about Leeds United’s win against Crystal Palace?

Speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast, the YEP’s chief football writer said: “It all felt a little bit Leeds-y, the way the penalty was conceded. You know, literally, as he's pointing to the spot, the fourth official, with almost like pantomime timing, is putting up the board to say whatever it was, seven, 11 minutes, whatever it was, a lot of minutes, seven, I think.

“And then, Northern Irish international, world-class player, Justin Devaney, sticks the penalty away. If he scores that header, God, it would have been the grinchiest thing. You know, it would have been the grinch that stole the points, wouldn't it, at Elland Road? But thank God, thank God that didn't happen. We got our Christmas miracle, because that performance deserved, that 90 minutes of that performance deserved three points. And Leeds could have been so far out of sight, couldn't they?

“It was just, it was largely a complete survivor ball performance, I would say. That is the blueprint. It's a mixture of physical and direct and good football. You know, it wasn't all long. They played some really lovely stuff. They dominated possession in spells. Yeah, they played some good football.”

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