Max Wöber helps shut Brentford out on his first start but Leeds can’t find winner

Jesse Marsch has insisted in recent weeks that Leeds are very close to clicking and they almost proved him right against Brentford but were unable to come up with a winner.

Anyone who watched the first 45 minutes could have been forgiven for not returning for the second half but that was the time when Leeds showed what they capable of through quick passing, relentless pressing and the creation of chances. However, it means very little when they fail to do the most important thing in football: score goals.

Centre-back Max Wöber was brought in for his first Premier League start since joining Leeds from Jesse Marsch’s former club RB Salzburg. It was an opportunity to show he could be the answer to Leeds’ defensive woes, especially in the absence of their injured captain, Liam Cooper.

A sign of the issues at the back were indicated with 10 seconds when David Raya launched a ball into the opposition box which Robin Koch failed to deal with, allowing Ivan Toney to take it down and shoot, but his effort was off target. That was arguably the high point of a dour first half; it was even, with neither team able to control the patterns of play. The ball went from one end to the other but chances to test the goalkeepers were as limited as the temperature.

Leeds’ new record-signing Georginio Rutter was captured by cameras covered in a blanket while yawning on the Leeds bench. Everyone at a freezing Elland Road could sympathise as the first half ended with a solitary shot on target in the match when Raya fell on a Rodrigo shot from the edge of the box.

When Leeds did make it into the final third after the break, there was impressive one-touch play, and whenever Willy Gnonto gained possession the excitement grew in the stands but chances remained absent. Raya was eventually grateful for the zipping hand-warmer from Rodrigo in the 57th minute, the first real test for either goalkeeper, but the Spaniard was alert to palm it away.

Brentford’s Ivan Toney vies for the ball with Luke Ayling of Leeds. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA

It was a sign of a rapid improvement in Leeds, their ferocious tempo starting to be matched by quality. Brentford were struggling to cope with the speed of Leeds’ attacks. Ethan Pinnock missed a header on the halfway, allowing Rodrigo to sprint through and lay a pass to Gnoto whose rising shot from 12 yards was repelled by Raya. As Leeds’ tempo increased, Brentford’s mistakes did, too, as they were forced to defend for long periods.

Brentford often went direct to test out the new Leeds back four. Toney, a man who has mastered the art of the flick-on, was the main threat. The striker would outjump Koch in an attempt to find Bryan Mbeumo but Leeds’ hustle and bustle ensured he was unable to muster a chance from the offcuts he was presented with, leaving Wöber and company pleased with their day’s work, especially considering Leeds have conceded two goals in each of their past four matches.

Leeds were only missing a No 9 to cause problems in the box but Marsch left Patrick Bamford on the bench until the 79th minute, despite him scoring twice in his past two outings. The home fans responded with chants of his name when he replaced Rodrigo but he was unable to make the difference, leaving Leeds a point above the relegation zone. Marsch is getting elements right, but he needs his players to join the dots in a single match.