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Leeds 3–1 Chelsea: Farke’s Men Deliver Statement Victory

Leeds United produced their performance of the season at a feverish Elland Road, dismantling Chelsea 3–1 to lift themselves clear of the relegation zone and deal a serious blow to the visitors’ Premier League title ambitions.

Under intense scrutiny and with pressure mounting over his future, Daniel Farke doubled down on the 3-5-2 system that sparked life in Leeds during their spirited second-half fightback at Manchester City. His conviction was rewarded handsomely: Leeds were hungrier, sharper and braver throughout, overwhelming a Chelsea side that arrived in West Yorkshire believing they were genuine title contenders after impressive displays against Arsenal and Barcelona.

Instead, Enzo Maresca’s team left nine points adrift of leaders Arsenal, their momentum shattered by a Leeds side who simply wanted it more.

Elland Road smelled vulnerability in the visitors and roared its side forward from the opening whistle. Leeds pressed relentlessly, snapping into duels, suffocating Chelsea’s midfield and creating wave after wave of pressure. Their dominance paid off after just 16 minutes. A powerful near-post run from Jaka Bijol met a wickedly delivered corner, and the defender thundered a bullet header past a helpless goalkeeper. It was no fluke — Chelsea were visibly rattled by Leeds’ intensity and structure.

Then came a moment of pure brilliance.

Just before the break, Ao Tanaka picked up the ball 25 yards out and unleashed a sensational long-range strike that dipped and swerved into the far corner. Elland Road erupted in disbelief and delight as Leeds took a fully deserved 2–0 lead into half-time. Chelsea, dazed and disorganised, trudged down the tunnel having been out-run, out-fought and out-thought.

Maresca’s response was swift and ruthless. A double substitution at the break injected urgency, and the impact was near-instant. A lapse in concentration from Gabriel Gudmundsson allowed Pedro Neto, freshly introduced, to steal into the box at the back post and poke home a lifeline goal for 2–1. Chelsea suddenly looked alive, the pace quickened, and Leeds teetered for the first time all night.

But the hosts refused to fold.

As Chelsea pushed forward in search of an equaliser, Leeds struck with precision.

A sloppy pass inside the box from Tosin Adarabioyo was seized upon by substitute Noah Okafor, who showed brilliant awareness to square the ball for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The striker — revitalised in recent weeks — swept the ball calmly into the bottom corner for his second goal in as many games, sending Elland Road into raptures and restoring Leeds’ two-goal cushion at 3–1.

This time, Chelsea had no answer.

The visitors’ title talk dissolved under Leeds’ ferocity and tactical clarity. They mustered possession but not purpose. Leeds, meanwhile, defended with grit and countered with menace.

For Daniel Farke, this was more than three points. It was a statement. And proof that this Leeds team still has fight — and a clear identity — in their battle for survival.

The manager praised his side’s unity and resilience afterwards: “We’re a club on a mission. Elland Road must be our fortress.”

Saturday brings another huge test at home to Liverpool — and, suddenly, belief is flowing again.

A frustrated Enzo Maresca gave a blunt assessment. “They were better than us in all aspects. We deserved nothing.” Chelsea’s defeat exposed familiar cracks: vulnerabilities without Caicedo, soft defending, and a lack of ruthlessness.

Leeds climb out of the drop zone, three points clear and revitalised. Chelsea slump nine points behind Arsenal, their title hopes fading.

Elland Road demanded a response — and Leeds delivered one of the most important performances of their season.

adidas and Liverpool FC Drop First LFSTLR Collection – A Fashion-Forward Take on Club Identity

adidas and Liverpool FC have unveiled the club’s first-ever LFSTLR collection – a contemporary lifestyle range that translates football heritage into everyday style.

Leading the lineup is a standout short-sleeved jersey in black and gold, a refined reimagining of the famed Shankly Gates. The capsule is fronted by men’s and women’s first-team players including Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, Rio Ngumoha, Trey Neyoni, Mia Enderby, Fuka Nagano and Sofie Lundgaard, captured in a campaign that spotlights the range’s clean lines, relaxed silhouettes and easy, wear-anywhere appeal.

Alongside the hero shirt, the collection features a matching sweatshirt, track jacket and track pants, each finished with a gold Liver bird and the adidas Originals Trefoil for a premium, fashion-led feel.

The LFSTLR collection is available now via adidas.co.uk/liverpool, the official LFC online store, LFC retail stores in the UK and internationally, and the LFC Retail App.

Burnley 0–1 Crystal Palace: Muñoz Header Seals Precious Win

Crystal Palace escaped Turf Moor with a hard-fought 1–0 victory thanks to Daniel Muñoz’s precise first-half header — a single moment of quality in a match dominated by Burnley’s pressure but undermined, once again, by their lack of cutting edge.

The Colombian wing-back struck midway through the opening period, rising to guide a looping header back across goal from Marc Guehi’s deep cross. It was a slick, well-crafted move in an otherwise cagey first half where Burnley controlled possession but remained toothless in the final third — a recurring theme of their troubled season.

Oliver Glasner’s side were made to sweat late on, surviving waves of Burnley pressure and relying on heroics from Dean Henderson and Chris Richards to protect their slender advantage.
For Burnley, it was another afternoon of frustration: a fifth straight defeat, a fifth match without scoring, and further evidence of brutal Premier League growing pains.

Burnley’s opening spell showed promise. They circulated the ball confidently, pressed Palace back into their own half, and controlled the tempo. But, as has been the case too often, they stalled at the decisive moment. Palace, meanwhile, waited patiently for their moment — and when it came, they pounced. A sweeping move found Guehi in space wide on the right. His curling cross picked out Muñoz, who directed a measured header across James Trafford and into the far corner. Against the run of possession, Palace were in front. Scott Parker’s side, despite their territorial dominance, had produced just 0.07 expected goals up to that point — a statistic that summed up their first-half struggle.

Burnley emerged from the break with renewed intent, helped enormously by Parker’s bold decision to introduce Jacob Bruun Larsen, Hannibal Mejbri, and Marcus Edwards.

Instantly, the Clarets looked sharper, more vertical, and far more threatening.

On the hour mark, they engineered their best attacking sequence of the afternoon, Bruun Larsen’s teasing cross found Lyle Foster, whose half-volley was dramatically blocked. The rebound fell to Josh Cullen, whose effort was smothered by Palace defenders throwing bodies on the line. Moments later, Burnley came even closer.

Bruun Larsen surged into the box to meet a deep delivery, unleashing a thunderous effort destined for the top corner — only for Dean Henderson to stretch out a single fingertip and divert it onto the crossbar. Replays confirmed the slightest of touches made all the difference. It was Burnley’s turning point… but ultimately not enough.

Burnley pushed, pressed, and probed, but their intensity faded as the minutes ticked away.

Their final chance came wrapped in chaos: Henderson misread a late cross, punching thin air, and the ball ricocheted dangerously toward goal. It took a sharp, instinctive goal-line clearance from Chris Richards to deny Armando Broja what would have been a fluky equaliser. After that let-off, Palace closed ranks, slowed the tempo, and absorbed the last of Burnley’s pressure to secure what Oliver Glasner called “a huge win.”

Scott Parker, despite another crushing result, insisted his players deserved more. A lot of positives — courage, bravery, taking the game to Palace.

Oliver Glasner, meanwhile, admitted his team had to “survive” the final stretch.

Crystal Palace climb further from danger, grinding out three vital away points. Burnley suffer a fifth consecutive defeat, remain goal-shy, and face increasing pressure in the fight for survival. Muñoz continues to shine under Glasner, delivering energy, aggression, and — now — crucial goals.

Despite Burnley’s late charge and control for long spells, Palace’s resilience won the day.

For Parker’s young side, the effort was admirable — but the Premier League remains unforgiving, and their margin for error grows thinner by the week.

Cramlington Offsite Construction Firm Merit Enters Administration

Merit Group, a Cramlington-based offsite construction firm, has entered administration, leading to the redundancy of the majority of its 340 employees.

James Lumb and Will Wright from Interpath were appointed joint administrators to Merit Group Services Limited, Merit Health Limited and Merit Holdings Limited on 17 and 18 November 2025.

Merit worked with clients across the healthcare, life sciences, education, battery technology and aerospace sectors. In recent months, the company faced “contractual issues and delays to a number of its major contracts, which in turn had a significant impact on cashflow.”

The liquidity pressure was compounded when Merit Group Services Limited became subject to an unexpected winding-up petition, which affected new work awards and caused delays on ongoing projects.

The company’s directors explored various options, including sale, refinancing and investment. When it became clear that a solvent solution was not achievable, they opted to appoint administrators.

Operations have now ceased, with the majority of Merit’s employees made redundant.

James Lumb, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, said: “The UK construction industry continues to face tremendous headwinds, with rising costs, high interest rates and subdued private sector demand having an impact on larger contracts in particular. Although Merit has developed an outstanding reputation for the quality and innovation of its specialist offsite solutions, these broader challenges proved to be insurmountable.”

He added: “We continue to explore options in order to find a solution that works for Merit’s customers, employees and creditors. In the meantime, we are prioritising providing support to all those who have been affected by redundancy, including supporting them with claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.”

The administration of Merit Group highlights the ongoing challenges faced by UK construction firms, particularly those specialising in offsite and complex project delivery.

Bradford School Swimming Decline Linked to Transport Costs and Pop Up Pools

Bradford has experienced a sharp fall in school swimming lessons delivered at leisure centres, with a shift toward pop up pools driven by transport costs. The Bradford school swimming decline is detailed in a new council report that highlights reduced access, financial pressures and concerns about long term life skills.

According to the report, there are currently sixty two school swim sessions running in local authority pools. This represents a drop from one hundred and twenty sessions in the 2023 to 2024 financial year. The district has a long history of swimming education and Wapping School was the first in the country to install its own pool in 1898.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland described the situation as unacceptable. She said “sticking plaster” pop up facilities were “unsatisfactory in terms of life skills” and added: “Bradford is the birthplace of school swimming, but bureaucracy is strangling it.” Her comments underscore wider concern about the Bradford school swimming decline.

The council report states: “The current arrangements are having a negative effect on the KS2 school swimming programme provided by the Bradford Aquatics Service due to the high cost of transport.

“In 2023 to 2025 the service lost 15 primary schools due to pop-up pools and the service was advised that this was a cheaper option than the cost of lessons and transport costs.

“Then in 2025 to 2026 the service lost a further 15 primary schools.”

The Bradford school swimming decline has resulted in significant gaps in the lesson programme, alongside a loss of income for facilities. The aquatics service notes the potential for further impact on leisure centre footfall.

Schools can source their own transport or arrange it through Bradford Aquatics via the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The report states: “The aquatics service has requested an urgent review of the transport costs that have been agreed with WYCA.”

Pop up pools are seen by critics as no replacement for dedicated swimming environments. Ms Sunderland argued that investment in school swimming and transport would offer substantial benefits. She said: “It seems like we know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

“If you don’t learn to swim as a child very, very few adults start learning to swim.”

The Bradford school swimming decline continues to raise questions about policy, funding and access, and whether more sustainable solutions can be found to support essential life skill education.

Filtronic Space Technology Project Wins £1.2m UK Space Agency Funding

The new system is designed to provide a plug and play transition from older Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier equipment. It builds on Filtronic’s established SSPA design and targets a frequency band considered vital for modern satellite communications.

Ka band plays a key role in the growth of non geostationary constellations. These constellations use it for high capacity and low latency feeder and user links. Its wider adoption is linked to next generation services, including in flight connectivity and 5G Non Terrestrial Networks.

Nat Edington, chief executive at Filtronic, said: “This award reflects the strength of our innovation pipeline and our place in the UK’s space ecosystem. The 550W Ka-Band SSPA is a significant step change in solid-state performance, offering leading linear power in a TWTA-compatible form factor.

“It will enable operators to transition from travelling wave tube systems with reduced operating expense and enhanced reliability, helping to support more sustainable and future-ready satellite networks. Built on strategic industry partnerships and a proven record of innovation, our integrated design and manufacturing model delivers scalable, cost-efficient solutions that earned us selection under this leading programme.”

The Filtronic space technology project aligns with wider UK strategic aims for commercial space development. Dr Craig Brown, investment director at the UK Space Agency, said: “Filtronic’s project is a great example of the ambition behind the National Space Innovation Programme, turning cutting-edge UK research into commercially viable solutions that strengthen our global competitiveness. By advancing high-power solid-state amplifier technology, this project not only supports more resilient satellite networks but also accelerates the UK’s journey towards a sustainable and innovative space economy.”

Filtronic is headquartered in Sedgefield in Durham, with additional bases in Leeds, Manchester and Cambridge. The Filtronic space technology project therefore supports both technological development and regional industrial activity within the UK.

Dukeries Industrial Site Sold to UK Land for £7.5m

The Dukeries industrial site in Gateshead has been sold to UK Land for £7.5 million. The Team Valley Industrial Estate, of which the Dukeries forms part, spans more than seven million square feet. It also includes fifty acres in the development pipeline that are earmarked for additional prime industrial stock.

The wider estate has direct access to the A1. This allows rapid travel to the national motorway network, Newcastle city centre and Newcastle International Airport to the north. The Dukeries itself is a fully let four unit estate comprising two detached industrial units and two data centres.

The sale marks a notable change in ownership for a site that has been in the same hands since its development more than three decades ago.

Peter Atkinson, director in Savills Newcastle investment team, said: “It’s great to deliver the first sale of this estate since it was developed by our clients over three decades ago. It’s also very fitting that such an important piece of Team Valley was acquired by the freeholder, UK Land, which has exciting and ambitious plans to invest in and further drive the success of the wider Team Valley Estate.”

The transaction highlights ongoing demand for established industrial locations with strong transport links and active development pipelines.

Future Group Renewable Energy Hub Opens New Office and Training Academy

Future Group has opened a new head office and a first of its kind training academy in South Tyneside. The development marks a further step in the company’s expansion as a renewable heat and power business. The Future Group renewable energy hub brings together operations, customer engagement and skills development at two linked sites.

Future Group comprises five renewable energy businesses with a combined turnover of thirty million pounds. The organisation has now established a six thousand square foot head office and showroom on South Shields’ Western Approach. The site includes offices, meeting rooms and storage space for its twenty eight staff.

The showroom is designed to support domestic and commercial customers who want to explore heat pumps, battery storage services and solar panels. It gives visitors the opportunity to understand products before installation, with a focus on the practical aspects of renewable technology.

The Future Group renewable energy hub also includes a training academy on the Rekendyke Industrial Estate. This new facility is intended to upskill tradespeople in the installation and maintenance of solar power systems. Its role is to support wider adoption of renewable energy by building technical capacity in the workforce.

Anthony Rutherford, a director at Future Group, said: “We are thrilled to have finally moved into our new head office in South Shields.

“The office has provided us with a central hub where we can oversee all of the group’s operations, catch up with staff and show off our products and services to customers.

“It has been a significant investment from the group, but we are confident it will play a pivotal role in helping us achieve our ambitions of becoming one of the UK’s leading, end to end renewable heat and power specialists.”

By combining operational coordination with customer engagement and training, the Future Group renewable energy hub aims to support both business growth and broader skills development in the renewable sector.

Liverpool Look to Build on West Ham Win as Sunderland Head to Anfield

Liverpool return to Anfield this evening with a small but important step in the right direction behind them, while Sunderland arrive on Merseyside riding the wave of one of the comebacks of the season. It feels like a big night for both sides: one trying to steady themselves after a rocky spell, the other eager to prove their fast start is no illusion.

Liverpool’s last league outing brought badly needed relief. A 2-0 victory away at West Ham, with second-half goals from Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, halted a miserable run that had seen Arne Slot’s side lose six of their previous seven league games and suffer a brutal 4-1 home defeat to PSV in Europe. The win in London was more workmanlike than spectacular, but it restored some calm and lifted Liverpool back towards mid-table after a spell that Slot himself has described as “far from good enough.”

Sunderland travel in the opposite mood. Regis Le Bris’s team come into this on the back of a remarkable 3-2 home win over Bournemouth, in which they fought back from 2-0 down inside 15 minutes to take all three points and climb into the top four. That comeback, sparked by Enzo Le Fée’s penalty and completed by Bertrand Traoré and a late Brian Brobbey header, was the latest example of the resilience and belief that has underpinned their return to the top flight. It also ended a brief winless run and extended their unbeaten home record since promotion.

Injuries and selection will again play a part. Liverpool still have a handful of ongoing issues in defence and midfield, and Slot has already shown he is willing to make big calls – most notably leaving Mohamed Salah out of the XI at West Ham. The core of the side that won in London is available, but rotation in certain positions remains likely given the schedule. Sunderland’s squad picture is comparatively settled: aside from a couple of longer-term absentees, Le Bris has his key players fit, which allows him to keep faith with the structure that has taken them into the top four.

Liverpool’s approach under Slot is unlikely to change dramatically. They will look to impose themselves with the ball, press high in phases and use the movement of Isak, Gakpo and whichever creative option starts on the right to drag Sunderland around. The focus will be on maintaining the defensive discipline they showed at West Ham while adding more fluency in the final third than has been evident for much of this poor run.

Sunderland, meanwhile, will not come merely to sit in. Le Bris has built a side that is organised without the ball but comfortable in possession, able to play through pressure as well as break quickly. The technical quality of players like Le Fée, along with the running power of Traoré and the penalty-box presence of Brobbey, makes them dangerous both in transitions and in sustained attacks. They will expect to have less of the ball than at home, but they will back themselves to use it well when they get it.

The midfield battle is likely to be decisive. If Liverpool can control that area, set the tempo and pin Sunderland back, Anfield can become a difficult place for any visiting side to breathe. But if Sunderland manage to disrupt Liverpool’s rhythm, win enough duels and turn turnovers into quick, vertical attacks, they have already shown they can hurt teams with far more experience at this level.

Neither side can treat this lightly.

For Liverpool, the West Ham win only matters if it becomes the start of a trend rather than a brief pause in the slide. Another strong performance – and especially a home win – would help calm nerves and give Slot something firmer to build on.

For Sunderland, this is the kind of stage that can harden belief: a positive result at Anfield would add even more credibility to talk of them being more than just early-season noise.

With one club trying to rediscover what made them champions and the other determined to prove they belong among the league’s frontrunners, tonight’s game at Anfield has all the ingredients of a tense, high-quality contest.