Credit: Imago

Aheed Abrar

Mon 16 March 2026 9:40, UK

Dominic Calvert-Lewin seems to have lost his touch as Leeds United drew 0-0 against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.

The English striker missed a penalty in the 45th minute after Will Hughes was penalised for a handball at Selhurst Park on 15 March.

Having caught plenty of attention after his purple patch midway through the season, the centre-forward has now failed to score in his last four league appearances.

Daniel Farke has relied on Calvert-Lewin to help the West Yorkshire outfit avoid relegation, but it remains to be seen whether Thomas Tuchel will turn to the former Everton star for the 2026 World Cup.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin game by numbers in Leeds United draw vs Crystal Palace

Calvert-Lewin started alongside Lukas Nmecha against Palace, something many Leeds fans wanted to see from Farke.

The 29-year-old was the Whites’ focal point in the first half but missed a brilliant opportunity to score despite recording an xG of 0.94, with his Sofascore graphic below highlighting his poor display.

Over the 90 minutes, the striker had three shots, two on target, was caught offside once and lost possession 10 times, as he completed just 43 per cent of his passes.

The West Yorkshire outfit were mostly on the back foot and had to defend in the second half, with the centre-forward winning just six of his 19 aerial duels and committing one foul.

England will surely rely on Harry Kane to lead the line at the World Cup, but a backup number nine spot may be up for grabs.

Ollie Watkins has been underwhelming at Aston Villa in the current campaign and despite Calvert-Lewin’s poor display at Selhurst Park, he could potentially get into Tuchel’s good graces in the final eight league games.

Who else is Dominic Calvert-Lewin competing with for England call-up?

Apart from Watkins, Ivan Toney, Dominic Solanke and Liam Delap are considered by many fans to be in contention to play for England at the World Cup.

Calvert-Lewin will surely feel he’s done more than enough compared to Tuchel’s other options this season.

The former Everton star is the joint-leading English goalscorer in the Premier League in the current campaign, with 10, alongside Danny Welbeck.

Calvert-Lewin’s main focus right now will be on securing Leeds’ top-flight status, but his situation will be one to watch closely in the coming months.