Kyle Newbould: Leeds United beaten 3-0 at West Ham, three key takeaways | OneFootball

Leeds United ended 2025/26 with a 3-0 defeat at West Ham that still sealed 14th place. yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk notes it was a flat finish.

Injury-hit Leeds laboured in a nervy first half, then conceded after the break to Taty Castellanos before Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson punished slack defending. West Ham were relegated anyway as Tottenham Hotspur beat Everton, while Leeds stayed mid-table.

The lack of jeopardy made for a largely stress-free away day. Leeds were well below recent standards, yet the occasion still felt carefree.

Sam Byram’s fitting Elland Road send-off came in last weekend’s 1-0 win over Brighton, and he stayed on the bench at his former club. Facundo Buonanotte appears a near-certainty to depart after a 79th-minute cameo that was only his third league outing in four underwhelming months, and Joel Piroe, who replaced Ao Tanaka at the same time, is also hard to picture in Farke’s plans given limited minutes.

Wingers Daniel James and Willy Gnonto each had about 20 minutes and may feel unsure about what comes next. If they do go, they and Piroe will be remembered from that 100-point, Championship title-winning season.

Attention now turns to the summer, with newly-promoted Sunderland finishing seventh and booking Europa League football by beating Chelsea, overshadowing Leeds. The mid-table pack is tight, and Leeds could even have finished above them had results swung differently. With ambition from 49ers Enterprises, as Farke has urged, Sunday underlined there is work to do in the months ahead.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk