Leeds United 2-1 West Ham United
Premier League, Elland Road, Friday 24 October 2025, 8pm BST
West Ham United’s worst start to a Premier League season continued with a 2-1 defeat at Leeds United.
A wet and windy Friday night at Elland Road provided difficult viewing for the Claret and Blue Army, whose side lost for the seventh time in nine matches, with Mateus Fernandes’ late goal no consolation.
Leeds created the clearer chances and took two of them, while West Ham seldom seriously threatened and lost full-back Ollie Scarles to a suspected dislocated shoulder midway through the first half.
By then, the Yorkshire side led 2-0.
It took exactly three minutes for Leeds to open the scoring. Jayden Bogle crossed, Noah Okafor got in front of Scarles and headed goalwards, Alphonse Areola saved and Brenden Aaronson reacted quickest to fire in from five yards.
For the eighth time in nine Premier League matches, the Hammers had conceded the first goal.
West Ham briefly rallied and went close to levelling on ten minutes. Crysencio Summerville crossed and Jarrod Bowen met a clearing header with a powerful bicycle kick that Lucas Perri parried and then pushed away from Lucas Paquetá following in.
After a quarter of an hour, it was 2-0. Leeds won a corner on their left, Sean Longstaff curled to the edge of the six-yard box and Joe Rodon lost marker Paquetá to head powerfully past Areola.
Minutes later, Scarles landed awkwardly after being challenged and, after receiving extensive treatment, he left the pitch with his right arm wrapped in a sling and was replaced by Callum Wilson.
The striker was involved on 34 minutes, but will wish he had not been as the ball ricocheted off his boot to Paquetá, who smashed past Perri via the underside of the crossbar. The issue was the Brazilian was offside, a decision confirmed by VAR James Bell.
After Bowen and Ethan Ampadu had shot wide at either end, there was another stoppage while Gabriel Gudmundsson was treated for a lower back injury and then replaced, leading to 13 minutes of added time being played.
Both teams had chances during the extra period, Noah Okafor curling past the post and Bogle testing Areola for Leeds before Tomáš Souček headed Bowen’s cross wide.
West Ham had plenty of possession at the start of the second half but created little. Leeds regathered themselves and Aaronson raced forward and saw his shot deflect off Maximilian Kilman and the crossbar, then substitute Jack Harrison stung Areola’s palms with a well-struck drive.
The Hammers kept going as the rain fell, but just could not break Leeds down until it was too late.
It was the final minute of the 90 when Fernandes glanced Bowen’s in-swinging cross into the bottom corner, but the Irons could not find an equaliser in the four minutes of added time.
Back-to-back home games with Newcastle United and Burnley now take on great significance as Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo and his squad seek vital Premier League points before the November international break.
Leeds United: Perri, Bogle, Rodon, Bijol, Gudmundsson (Justin 44), Ampadu ©, Longstaff, Tanaka (Gruev 72), Aaronson (James 87), Okafor (Harrison HT), Calvert-Lewin (Nmecha 87)
Subs not used: Darlow (GK), Struijk, Stach, Piroe
Goals: Aaronson 3, Rodon 15
Booked: Gruev, Perri, Justin
West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka (Walker-Peters 79), Todibo, Kilman, Scarles (Wilson 25), Diouf, Irving (Potts 65), Souček (Fernandes 65), Bowen ©, Summerville (Magassa 79), Paquetá
Subs not used: Hermansen (GK), Igor, Rodríguez, Marshall
Goal: Fernandes 90
Booked: Summerville, Paquetá, Todibo
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Attendance: 36,788
