Credit: Imago

Josh Edwards

Mon 16 March 2026 10:10, UK

Lukas Nmecha was anonymous in Leeds United‘s draw with Crystal Palace.

Given the fact that Leeds were down to ten men for over half of the game, they will take plenty of positives from a draw and a clean sheet away to Crystal Palace.

However, there were still a number of concerning factors about the Whites’ performance on the day, with the majority of them coming in the final third.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin failed to impress for Leeds against Palace, while Brenden Aaronson offered nothing, but it was the performance of Nmecha that summed up the woes that Leeds United are facing.

Daniel Farke should be concerned by Lukas Nmecha display

Nmecha has had a hand in some big moments for Leeds this season, especially when taking into account the lack of minutes he has had in the Premier League.

But his performance at Selhurst Park was perhaps a showcase as to why that has been the case, with the German forward having ghosted through the game in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch.

Quite remarkably, Nmecha completed zero per cent of his attempted passes, while also winning just three of his eight duels in the game.

As showcased by his Sofascore graphic, he also had just 10 touches in the first half against Crystal Palace, demonstrating how pointless it was for him to be on the pitch.

But that is Daniel Farke’s biggest issue at the moment, in the sense that Leeds are creating very little in the final third, and a lot of it comes down to the absence of Noah Okafor.

When is Noah Okafor due to return?

Okafor has been out injured ever since he pulled his hamstring in Leeds’ FA Cup victory against Birmingham City.

Initially, it was expected that he would be out of action for around two to four weeks, but Sunday’s draw with Crystal Palace marked a month since he last played.

However, there is some optimism to be had from the fact that the Swiss forward has been seen back in training, meaning a return isn’t far away.

Leeds return to action next weekend with a home encounter against Brentford, which could be the game we see Okafor return to the squad.