Lukas Nmecha came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner as Leeds United beat Fulham 1-0 at Elland Road. The striker, introduced in the 81st minute, turned home Ethan Ampadu’s cross in the first minute of added time to earn a vital victory that keeps Leeds eight points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
The match began with a tribute to former Leeds and Wales midfielder Terry Yorath, who died this month at the age of 75. A minute’s applause was held before kick-off, and players wore black armbands. Yorath’s daughter, broadcaster Gabby Logan, was in attendance to see Leeds take another step towards safety.
Leeds dominated after a tight first half but struggled to convert chances. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson and James Justin all tested Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno, while Gabriel Gudmundsson fired wide. Fulham’s best opportunities fell to Raúl Jiménez, who headed wide early on, and Sasa Lukic, whose header was saved.
Daniel Farke, the Leeds manager, praised his side’s mentality. “We fully deserved to win this game,” he said. “We didn’t give one proper chance during the whole game. We’ve missed several chances, but stayed relentless to the end. We showed great mentality and great self-belief.”
Fulham manager Marco Silva, who was booked for dissent, conceded his side were below par. “This was not a good performance at all,” he said. “Second half, we didn’t perform at the level that the game demands. They scored in the end, but they had chances to score earlier.”
