Leeds United 4-1 Crystal Palace: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Ladbrokes’ post-match review of Leeds United 4-1 Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, 20 December 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Leeds United beat Crystal Palace 4-1 at home. Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring in the 38th minute, and he added a second in first-half stoppage time, assisted by Jaka Bijol, to give Leeds a comfortable lead going into the break. Crystal Palace picked up yellow cards for Maxence Lacroix in the 42nd minute and Marc Guéhi just before half-time, which disrupted their rhythm, while Leeds built on their recent form that included a win over Chelsea and draws against Brentford and Liverpool.

In the second half, Ethan Ampadu extended Leeds’ advantage to 3-0 on the hour mark, putting the game largely out of reach. Palace made changes, including Jefferson Lerma replacing Will Hughes at the break and later substitutions like Borna Sosa for Nathaniel Clyne, but they only managed a late consolation when Justin Devenny scored from a penalty in the 90+2nd minute. Leeds responded in dramatic fashion with Anton Stach netting in the 11th minute of added time after a VAR check involving Ilia Gruev, capping a performance that contrasted with Palace’s recent struggles, including back-to-back losses to Manchester City.

Leeds edged possession at 53% to Palace’s 47%, which helped them control spells of the game and rack up nine corners compared to Palace’s five, pointing to more sustained pressure in attacking areas. Palace, however, led in successful dribbles with 50 to Leeds’ 40, suggesting they posed threats on the counter but couldn’t convert them effectively, while Leeds recorded one assist and Palace none, underlining the hosts’ sharper finishing.

Discipline saw Palace pick up three yellow cards against Leeds’ one, which may have hampered their momentum, and Palace took one penalty which they scored, but no injury-time goals were noted beyond the timeline events. Both sides used all five substitutions, with Leeds making double changes at 77’ and 87’ – Wilfried Gnonto for Noah Okafor, Ao Tanaka for Brenden Aaronson, James Justin for Jayden Bogle, Ilia Gruev for Ethan Ampadu, and Joël Piroe for Dominic Calvert-Lewin – while Palace adjusted early with Jefferson Lerma for Will Hughes at 46’, followed by Borna Sosa for Nathaniel Clyne at 65’, Justin Devenny for Eddie Nketiah and Christantus Uche for Jean-Philippe Mateta at 77’, and Joel Drakes-Thomas for Yéremy Pino at 86’.

The match turned decisively in Leeds’ favour before half-time, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring twice – first in the 38th minute and then in the 45+4th, assisted by Jaka Bijol – to establish a 2-0 lead. Palace’s discipline issues compounded their problems, as Maxence Lacroix earned a yellow in the 42nd for what appeared a tactical foul, followed by Marc Guéhi’s booking in the 45+2nd, and later Adam Wharton’s in the 90+7th, while Leeds’ Lucas Perri was cautioned in the 90+1st.

Ethan Ampadu’s 60th-minute goal made it 3-0, but Palace pulled one back via Justin Devenny’s penalty in the 90+2nd. Late substitutions impacted the flow, with Leeds bringing on Ilia Gruev for Ampadu at 87’, leading to a VAR review involving Gruev in the 90+10th that cleared the way for Anton Stach’s goal a minute later to seal the 4-1 scoreline.

Leeds United set up in a 3-5-2 formation that allowed them to dominate midfield and support their forwards effectively, with Ethan Ampadu anchoring the centre and contributing a goal, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin led the line sharply alongside partnerships that fed his brace.

Crystal Palace deployed a 3-4-2-1 shape aimed at defensive solidity and quick transitions, but yellow cards for Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guéhi disrupted the backline, while Justin Devenny made an impact after replacing Eddie Nketiah to score their lone penalty.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is Ladbrokes’ Man of the Match after his brace in the first half, with two goals, no assists, no big chances created, and one key pass that highlighted his clinical edge in front of goal before he was replaced by Joël Piroe at 87’.

Recent Premier League matches:

• Win: 4-1 vs Crystal Palace (H)
• Draw: 1-1 vs Brentford (A)
• Draw: 3-3 vs Liverpool (H)
• Win: 3-1 vs Chelsea (H)
• Loss: 2-3 vs Manchester City (A)

Recent Premier League matches:

• Loss: 1-4 vs Leeds United (A)
• Loss: 0-3 vs Manchester City (H)
• Win: 2-1 vs Fulham (A)
• Win: 1-0 vs Burnley (A)
• Loss: 1-2 vs Manchester United (H)

Leeds United have just beaten Crystal Palace 4-1 at home, a result that builds on their mixed recent form of a draw at Brentford, a high-scoring draw with Liverpool, a win over Chelsea, and a narrow loss to Manchester City, leaving them 16th on 19 points. They next face Sunderland on 2025-12-28 at 14:00, with the visitors sitting sixth on 27 points, offering Leeds a chance to climb the table and gain ground on the mid-table pack.

Crystal Palace have just lost 4-1 away to Leeds United, adding to their inconsistent run that includes defeats to Manchester City and Manchester United either side of wins over Fulham and Burnley, placing them eighth on 26 points. They face Arsenal next on 2025-12-23 at 20:00, with the league leaders on 39 points presenting a tough test where Palace will need to tighten up to avoid slipping further from the European spots.

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Odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.