da aposte e ganhe： St James’ Park would be the setting for a high-octane Premier League classic between Newcastle United and Leeds United late on Wednesday evening.

da dobrowin： There were constant twists and turns on display on Tyneside, with Leeds at one point racing into a 3-2 lead, with ten minutes remaining, courtesy of Brenden Aaronson hammering his second strike of the night, during what was a breathless contest.

Unfortunately, whenever the defiant Whites did gain a foothold in the contest, they were swiftly back on level terms, with a last-gasp effort from Harvey Barnes proving to be the “gut punch” for the away side – as the Athletic’s Beren Cross aptly described it – as a dramatic 4-3 victory was handed to Eddie Howe’s resilient hosts.

While there will need to be some conversations had about how poor Leeds’ defending was all night, several Leeds shirts continued to show that they belong in the Premier League.

Leeds' positive performers vs Newcastle

Lucas Perri’s fingertip save just wasn’t enough to stop Barnes’ last-ditch effort from trickling in, as Leeds failed to go nine points clear of the Premier League drop zone with a well-earned draw.

While that will sting, there were loads of positives to still take away from the barnstorming contest at St James’ Park from a Whites’ perspective, as Aaronson’s unbelievable redemption arc under Farke shows no signs of stopping.

He was at the heart of Bruno Guimaraes’ penalty kick being awarded, as a handball call when against him, but he still put in another energetic display for the Whites, with the lively number 11 winning a high eight duels in total, away from casually slotting home two chances past Nick Pope.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin also won three aerial duels himself, away from further getting in on the goalscoring action, while the inclusion of Ilia Gruev in the middle of the park from Farke worked a treat, as the Bulgarian ran his heart out for the cause when winning 100% of his tackles valiantly.

Yet, all their best efforts were in vain come the full-time whistle, as the distraught Leeds camp went over to the passionate away masses at the end, with Farke perhaps regretting the decision to start this defender, who was riskily put back into the starting XI.

Why Leeds must now sign Axel Disasi

The German has got most of his selection decisions spot on in recent matches, as the fixture list became heavily congested for his side.

Indeed, Sebastiaan Bornauw – despite an initial slow start to his Elland Road career – didn’t look out of place in the heart of defence against either Liverpool or Manchester United, as the towering Belgian won a brave six duels across both those draws.

Rodon vs Newcastle

Stat

Record

Minutes

89

Touches

27

Pass accuracy

94%

Key passes

0

Tackles won

0

Ground duels

1/1

Aerial duels

1/2

Possession lost

5x

Sourced by Sofascore

That’s what makes the decision to risk Joe Rodon, who surprisingly made his way back into the XI after a nasty injury against Sunderland last month, for the game under the St James’ Park floodlights feel rather bemusing, considering the Welshman failed to last the full 90 minutes when coming off towards the end, limping.

It was far from an abject display from the Swansea-born defender, but it was clear from his display that he wasn’t imposing himself on a contest like he usually does, when amassing just 27 touches of the ball, with Perri even managing more at 39 touches.

To add context, Rodon’s average for the season stands at a far heftier 58.5.

Rodon also wasn’t at his assertive best when failing to stop this Joelinton header to level the frantic affair at 2-2, with the number six only winning two duels in total, before coming off late on with a new injury concern.

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These recurring problems with Rodon could push Leeds to finally get Axel Disasi through the door, with reports suggesting that a deal for the Frenchman to swap Stamford Bridge for Elland Road is in the advanced stages.

Disasi managed to fill competently for Aston Villa last season on loan, when collecting two clean sheets from his nine Premier League starts, with the 27-year-old also a top-flight regular for Chelsea during the 2023/24 season, when averaging a commanding 4.3 duels won per league clash.

This could be the perfect next purchase to make; therefore, to ensure Rodon isn’t rushed back again, as it ultimately proved to be a hurried decision to start the former Tottenham Hotspur titan on Tyneside.

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