Leeds draw at Palace to go five points clear of drop | Marsch: A big point

Leeds battled for a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football which leaves them five points clear of the drop zone.

Seventeenth-placed Burnley’s 1-0 win over Wolves on Sunday piled the pressure on Leeds ahead of their trip to Selhurst Park but Jesse Marsch’s side were unable to find a win of their own, with just three points separating the sides ahead of the final five games of the season.

Leeds head coach Marsch told Sky Sports it was a “big point that gets us closer to our ultimate goal” while admitting that there was some disappointment with the overall performance.

It was a game of few chances, but Palace were dominant and will feel disappointed they failed to secure a win that would have taken them to 40 points and put to bed any remaining concerns of relegation.

While Leeds will be pleased to have come away with a point, it leaves them in a precarious position ahead of a tough run-in which includes matches against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Eighteenth-placed Everton have a game in hand on Leeds and Burnley, which if they win could see Frank Lampard’s side close the gap to two points between themselves and the Whites.

Leeds hold on at Palace

After 16 days since their 3-0 win at Watford, Marsch blamed a lack of “game sharpness” on his side’s slow start in south London, with Palace twice coming close to opening the scoring inside 20 minutes.

Jean-Philippe Mateta was involved in both incidents, with a case of poor finishing letting him down initially, before Leeds defender Diego Llorente’s vital touch in the six-yard box prevented a certain goal after an inviting low cross from Jordan Ayew.

For Leeds, it was a half of few chances, with Liam Cooper registering their only shot on target with a header from a corner that was easily held by Vicente Guaita.

Head coach Marsch tried to freshen things up at half-time by bringing on Robin Koch for Mateusz Klich, but Palace continued to look the more threatening side.

And the arrival of Michael Olise off the bench only made matters worse for Leeds, as he and Wilfried Zaha wreaked havoc for the visiting defenders on either wing.

However, Leeds continued to prevent Palace from carving out any clear-cut chances, with Joel Ward and Conor Gallagher coming close with efforts from outside the area.

Leeds goalkeeper Islan Meslier produced a fine double save to deny Palace forward Zaha with less than 10 minutes to go, with Gallagher producing a tame effort when presented with a good opportunity in the penalty area.

Marsch: We have to look at it as a positive

Marsch told Sky Sports: “We, as a group, were a little bit disappointed overall with the performance but we have to look at this as a positive. Two clean sheets in a row, it’s a big point that gets us closer to the ultimate goal. It was a night where we bend but don’t break. The guys are disappointed but the point was valuable.

“Some of the things in possession that we wanted to try to make little connections, we weren’t able to establish enough to do that. After 16 days, it was not easy to get game sharpness. But the mentality to fight for everything was there.

“There’s still moments when they get caught in the man marking, or the other players feel like they have to cover behind them. Some of the positioning in the build-up phases in the last third, we need to be better in the connection and timings of plays.

“These games are incredible. They’re tight, every second and every moment can help them in both directions. Being physical and defending in real ways and winning duels is going to be important for how I want us to play. Containing to find ways with the ball to manipulate and unbalance opponents and move and connect in a way that can be a bit more dangerous. We’ll keep working.”

Leeds’ remaining fixtures

Manchester City (H), Saturday April 30, 5.30pm, live on Sky SportsArsenal (A), Sunday May 8, 2pm, live on Sky SportsChelsea (H), Wednesday May 11, 7.30pm, live on Sky SportsBrighton (H), Sunday May 15, 2pmBrentford (A), Sunday May 22, 4pm

What’s next?

Up next for Crystal Palace is a trip to St Mary’s to face Southampton on Saturday, April 30; kick-off 3pm.

Next for Leeds is a home game against Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday, April 30, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 5.30pm.