‘Since Opta began’: Stat man shares incredible Leeds United record unmatched by any other team since 2013-14

Leeds United have had a fairly solid start to the Championship season overall and are where they are expected to be, right in the middle of the race for the top two.

   If Manor Solomon had not slipped against Burnley, Leeds would have taken their chances against Portsmouth and if Illan Meslier had not made a mistake against Sunderland, Daniel Farke’s side could have topped the table.

   But Leeds are in third place after an excellent 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Friday.    A game in which Joe Rothwell and Pascal Struijk ended Leeds’ eight-month wait for a corner after 69 minutes.

   A set routine that Farke said Rothwell was doing.    Mateo Joseph scored late on after coming on as a substitute and Spanish goalscorer Joseph boasted the highest XG of the game despite being a substitute for Leeds.

   Leeds United have kept their sixth clean sheet in 10 league games

   It was a big win on Friday night, but a big moment for Illan Meslier.    While largely unconcerned, he will be happy to keep a clean sheet ahead of the October break following his mistake at Sunderland.

   After the win against Sheffield United, Leeds had faced 72 shots after 10 games and Opta statistician and Leeds supporter Jonny Cooper told fans at the X that it was their best record in the Championship since 2013-14.

   “Leeds have faced just 72 shots in 10 Championship games this season. The 7.2 shots per game is the lowest ratio of any team in a season since Opta started recording Championship squad data in 2013-14.”

   Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk are key to Leeds’ record

   One change from last season is that the two midfielders in front of the central defenders are much more solid.    Be it Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev or currently Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka.

   One element that has changed compared to last season is the number of passes between the two central defenders.    Farke has clearly wanted more control of games this season and keeping possession is a big part of that.

   Possession and defensive patience between Struijk and Rodon, rarely going far and completing less than a tenth of their combined passes, play a key role for Leeds in keeping the opposition at bay.