Leeds United will not want this to happen again and have a clear area of improvement going forward

It is easy to forget Leeds United have only been a Premier League club for a little over a year. And in a way, Daniel Farke is becoming a victim of his own success.

Expectations have risen, hopes are high. Leeds have only lost one game in eight matches, have kept three clean sheets and have the second-best defensive record in the whole division.

The Whites look like they have been around for 14 years, not months. That they came away from their sole defeat to Arsenal and a draw with Manchester United disappointed speaks volumes of the U-turn Farke has presided over in 11 months.

Farke’s mantra of building the squad like a house - starting with the foundations and building upwards - has been exemplified in James Trafford, Tarik Muharemovic and James Justin. There is no doubt over the defence.

Yet, in the manager’s own words, there is always room for improvement overall. In the last four games, Leeds' xG had only risen above 1.0 once - against Man Utd (1.44).

The goalless draw with Sunderland saw the lowest return in this run of 0.57. The blustery conditions and a disrupted training week due to injuries are valid excuses for this.

But there is a wider point that Leeds are not creating enough scoring opportunities, or at least ones that provide a good chance to score. United’s big-and-bulky presence means set-pieces are a strong point.

However, from open play, it seems evident Leeds are left wanting. Farke himself has rowed back against this notion. "I'm not sure [I agree],” he said after Sunday’s match.

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“We had today, I would say, our best situations [from open play]. Sean Longstaff's chance was also out of open play. We have scored several goals in open play. Normally, we are a side who creates many, many more chances.

"We are perhaps not the most effective side, but one of our strengths is more or less that we can score out of all locations. That we are good in set pieces, that we are good in counterattacks, that we can score goals with team goals.

"No, we haven't shown this quality today. But I'm not concerned at all because we have this quality.”

Leeds have scored five goals from open play this season, and four from set-pieces - only Brighton and Chelsea have netted more from dead balls. On the face of it, this is a nice balance.

But a deeper dive shows that Leeds’ open play xG stands at 5.16 - the fifth-worst in the division. As it happens, United have scored five goals, so are on par. So this infers that the issue is not to do with efficiency, but instead the creation of chances.

In regards to big chances created (16), touches inside the opposition box (159) and completed passes in the final third (58%), seventh-sitting Leeds rank 14th or lower. In the case of the latter, they are bottom of the pile.

Against Sunderland, the starting attacking trio of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson and Harry Wilson failed to fire a single shot on goal. For comparison, the equivalent striker and wingers for the hosts - playing in the same conditions - was seven.

The obvious caveat is that Wilson and Aaronson are not regular starters, unlike their counterparts. Indeed, Noah Okafor had two shots after coming on - as did 88th-minute substitute Sean Longstaff.

Perhaps that points to a lack of depth in quality, though Wilson was supposed to bridge that gap. Meanwhile, something else is also true.

Leeds have only scored two goals in a single Premier League game once so far - the 4-1 win over Newcastle United, at Elland Road under the lights; a special concoction. Three of Leeds’ open play goals came that night. Those four goals also make up almost half of their total count.

A back five can only help Leeds’ defensive stability, which is the most important facet for a club that is looking to stabilise in the top tier once again - hence the 40-point aim. Right now, they are on track for 49 points, which would keep them up.

What cannot be denied is that the defeats that ought to have been draws last season are now ending as such this time around. So there is clear progress.

But Leeds need to score more and therefore need to create better if they are to advance beyond last season’s 14th place finish. It is Farke’s job to find the answers.

Survival is the ultimate goal once more, says the club. But try telling that to those who have only seen their team lose once in eight matches.