Bournemouth  2 (Evanilson 31, Adli 90+4)
Leeds United   0 

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31st October 2026. English Premier League.

12,041.

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I can’t remember the last time Leeds annoyed me quite as much as they did today! This game was there for the taking against a side that had swept all before them over the last month or so. But a succession of errors all over the pitch meant that a strong first half performance came to nothing. Too many promising forays forward came to an abrupt end before we reached the Cherries’ area so that for all our possession, we managed just one shot on target despite having nine touches in their box in that first half. We managed no shots on target in the second half,

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There is no point dwelling on the Trafford mistake, it happens, but it was so disappointing that it came at a crucial time in a difficult game and from a player who has been so solid all season. We looked like old school Leeds – the one that used to shoot itself in the foot quite regularly before the arrival of Daniel Farke – and not the more careful Leeds we have grown used to seeing lately. Trafford just has to make sure this was a one off, a momentary brain fade, and maybe the result of being perhaps too laid back at times! He’s still very young in goalkeeper terms and despite that big fee he is not the finished article! It was another salutary lesson, if we need one, that you just cannot afford to switch off for even a second at this level; if you do you will inevitably be punished.

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It clearly knocked us off our stride too, coming after we thought we had grabbed the lead earlier in the game ourselves when DCL was unlucky to have the ball ricochet into the net off his arm. It was a moment that probably shook the Cherries into life too. That was a huge disappointment as it came following a terrific little spell of football and quick passing between Justin, Bogle and Wilson; it deserved a goal.

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Almost as bad for me as the Trafford gaff though were the umpteen wasted crosses that ensured we didn’t threaten the Cherries much at all in the second half. Against Sunderland we blamed such wastefulness on the ‘windy wind’ but conditions couldn’t have been better down on the South Coast, we were just too sloppy on the ball too often, wasteful.

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The second goal was also the result of some lack lustre defending but coming so late and when Leeds were doing their best to rescue a point it is probably best forgotten.

There were a few positives to take – Dan James looked back to his best, at least for a chunk of the first half and Harry Wilson was much more effective in this formation although still not effective enough. Other than the two self-inflicted wounds we kept the home side pretty quiet too compared with the way they had demolished all-comers in their previous five games.

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Farke tried to wrestle the momentum back with his substitutions but, as we have seen so often, the quality we have on the bench doesn’t tend to give us the boost we are looking for. Anton Stach was probably the pick of the subs as he should be but, truth be told Lukas, Sean, Brenden and Jean-Matteo all looked like the bit-part players they are. I think we saw the rawness of Jean-Matteo that Farke tried to explain in his presser this week in the few minutes he was given today; he will take time to acclimatise to the Premier League and we can’t afford to have acclimatising players starting these games. Let’s not destroy the lad by throwing him in when he’s clearly not ready.

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So, a huge disappointment but we have to keep our focus and cut out those mistakes in our next games. We need to get more points on the board quickly to keep our momentum going and not see confidence ebb away. An error free display against Spurs can easily see us victorious next weekend, good as Spurs’ quality in depth looks, now they are into their stride. We also need to remember that those home games coming up against Coventry, Ipswich and Fulham are probably the ones that will define our season. They already feel like must win games to me!