An embarrassing display saw Leeds United suffer another blow to their campaign after losing to Championship side, Sheffield Wednesday, in the Carabao Cup.
Wednesday played to an empty-looking Hillsborough due to ongoing fan protests and fielded a starting XI of youngsters, but they still deserved to advance to the third round.
The Owls’ Jamal Lowe gave the hosts the lead thanks to a Karl Darlow error, but it looked as if Daniel Farke’s side would turn it around when Jayden Bogle levelled the score.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a hat-trick of chances, but it wasn’t enough and it was down to penalties, which couldn’t have gone any worse for Leeds.
Daniel Farke, Leeds manager, after Sheffield Wednesday defeat.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Leeds United now part of damning League Cup history
Opta’s Jonny Copper shared on X that last night Leeds United became just the second top-flight team in League Cup history to fail to score a single penalty in a penalty shootout.
The last side to do this were Manchester City in September 2005 vs Doncaster Rovers.
There aren’t many statistics Leeds will sit alongside Man City for, but this is one Daniel Farke will not welcome.
The game went straight to penalties and with Joel Piroe, Calvert-Lewin and Sean Longstaff all missing from the spot, the Whites lost 3-0 after failing to score in a shootout for the first time in their history.
Leeds United squad during penalty shoot-out with Sheffield Wednesday.
Photo by Pat Scaasi/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Leeds United’s recent Premier League penalty history
Over their last two seasons in the Premier League, Leeds United’s penalty record was relatively strong, in contrast to their recent Carabao Cup display.
In the 2021-2022 season, Leeds were awarded a total of five penalties. Of those, four were scored by the team’s top scorer, Raphinha, while the other was converted by Rodrigo. This gave them a respectable 100% conversion rate and a clear, reliable penalty taker.
Following that campaign, the 2022-2023 season, was a different story. Leeds were awarded four Premier League penalties. Rodrigo scored the club’s only successful spot-kick that season.
The record was soured by Patrick Bamford, who missed two penalties—one against Arsenal and another against Newcastle—which proved costly in Leeds’ campaign that ended in relegation.
In short, the club’s Premier League penalty record had been solid, with Raphinha as a dependable taker. However, the misses in the 2022-2023 season showed a drop-off in reliability, mirroring the recent struggles from the spot.