Figure caption,

Leeds stage comeback with Calvert-Lewin goal against Brentford

ByGary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his first goal of the season as Leeds battled back to earn a draw against Brentford.

The Bees completely dominated a first half in which the hosts failed to have a shot on target and deservedly led through Kevin Schade's neat flick.

But Leeds hung in there and defended well, before starting to turn the balance of play in their favour as the second half wore on.

The belief and noise increased in Elland Road, clearly lifting the Leeds players before England striker Calvert-Lewin tapped in from Lukas Nmecha's cross.

James Trafford made a fine save to keep out Igor Thiago's header soon after, and it felt like either side was capable of finding a winner.

Calvert-Lewin had a late effort kept out by Caoimhin Kelleher, although he was flagged offside as Brentford were almost hanging on by the end.

The result ensures both sides continue their unbeaten start to the season after wins in their opening league games.

Leeds analysis: Hosts show battling qualities

Figure caption,

'They were the better side' - Farke on Leeds v Brentford draw

At half-time in this game pretty much every Leeds fan watching would have been thinking it was a matter of not whether Brentford would win, but how many goals they would win by.

The hosts were a distant second best in a first half where they failed to create a single meaningful opportunity, and will have been relieved to have been just one goal down at the break.

But, to their credit, Daniel Farke's side showed great resolve and battling qualities to not just deal with the near constant wave of Brentford attacks, but eventually turn the game in their favour.

By the final couple of minutes they arguably looked the side most likely to grab a winner, but ultimately this will be viewed as a point gained given how much better Brentford had been for around an hour of this match.

With an opening-game win against Nottingham Forest followed by this display full of fight, Leeds fans will be encouraged by their side's start to the season.

Brentford analysis: Bees stung after first-half dominance

Figure caption,

'Never underestimate Daniel [Farke]' - Andrews

Brentford certainly raised plenty of eyebrows with their win against Tottenham in their opening game and looked firmly on course to follow that up with another deserved victory.

In the first half they dominated their opponents in almost every aspect of the game - attacking with pace and quality while keeping their shape well off the ball to nullify Leeds.

But a one-goal lead will always look precarious and the main lesson Brentford will take from this is that they need to add further goals when they are as dominant as they were for for two-thirds of this match.

The visitors will ultimately be disappointed to leave with a point but their first-half performance will encourage their fans that they will be capable of at least matching their ninth-placed finish last season.

Another positive was again the performance of Mamadou Sangare. The midfielder caught the eye in the 3-0 win against Spurs and was again a key figure in this match, with his displays suggesting he could prove one of the signings of the season.

Player of the match

Number: 1 J. Trafford
Average rating 7.96
Number: 1 J. Trafford
Average Rating: 7.96
Number: 9 D. Calvert-Lewin
Average Rating: 7.49
Number: 5 T. Muharemović
Average Rating: 7.46
Number: 14 L. Nmecha
Average Rating: 7.28
Number: 22 A. Tanaka
Average Rating: 7.22
Number: 10 H. Wilson
Average Rating: 7.11
Number: 4 E. Ampadu
Average Rating: 7.11
Number: 30 N. Elvedi
Average Rating: 7.09
Number: 7 D. James
Average Rating: 7.01
Number: 6 J. Rodon
Average Rating: 6.98
Number: 24 J. Justin
Average Rating: 6.93
Number: 18 A. Stach
Average Rating: 6.79
Number: 19 N. Okafor
Average Rating: 6.75
Number: 2 J. Bogle
Average Rating: 6.72
Number: 15 J. Bijol
Average Rating: 6.69
Number: 11 B. Aaronson
Average Rating: 5.76

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.