'Fear' - Leeds United fans will love Jamie Carragher's warning for West Ham & others
Leeds United have earned plenty of praise across the Premier League in recent weeks.
Jamie Carragher believes Leeds United will have struck ‘fear’ into their Premier League relegation rivals after a brilliant run of results.
Leeds extended their unbeaten run to four games on Saturday night after a convincing 4-1 win at home to Crystal Palace. Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice in the opening 45 minutes with Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach rounding off a season’s best performance after the break, the latter quickly cancelling out Justin Devenny’s penalty for the visitors.
Daniel Farke’s side have now taken seven points from three home games against a trio of top-level opposition in Chelsea, Liverpool and Palace while also leaving Brentford with a point. That run has pulled them from 18th on goal difference to 16th, six points clear of West Ham and a point above Nottingham Forest.
Forest had a game in hand to play on Monday night but were unable to reclaim 16th place from Leeds, having lost 1-0 at fellow strugglers Fulham. A game lacking chances at either end was decided from 12 yards, with Raul Jimenez burying a penalty in first-half added-time to ensure Farke’s side remained two places above the drop.
“I think Leeds have put a real fear, not just for teams below but a few above them,” Carragher told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “I think for West Ham, I have never felt that they could go down.
“I still think they will be okay because they will attack the January transfer market. I think Leeds must be really worrying West Ham more than anyone else in the Premier League this season.”
A major part of Leeds’ recent success has been their improvement in front of goal. Attacking quality was the early-season issue for Farke following summer transfer window shortcomings but they seemingly cannot stop scoring since switching to a 3-5-2 formation and more direct style of play.
Jamie Carragher on ‘genius’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Leeds had scored 11 goals in 12-and-a-half games going into half-time at Manchester City, the point at which Farke changed tact. In four-and-a-half matches since they bagged an impressive 13 times, signalling a massive improvement in their ability to create chances and put them away.
Central to the latter part has been Calvert-Lewin, who is arguably in the best goalscoring form of his life after Sunday’s brace made it six in five appearances. The 28-year-old started the season slowly but been clinical in recent weeks, with all of his goals coming from close-range and in central areas.
“It’s fantastic, you think about goalscorers and you talk about where they should be,” Carragher said of the striker. “You talk about the second six-yard box as well, he has got a couple inside the six-yard box, three or four outside the six-yard box. If he keeps that up, he is a genius isn’t he, he is something special.”
Calvert-Lewin and his Leeds teammates will now spend Christmas Day in 16th before heading to Sunderland on Sunday full of confidence. It’s sure to be an exciting game between two newly-promoted sides who have impressed this season.