Leeds have improved so much from Brighton (and Forest) away last season. How?

If the night is always darkest before dawn, it was hard for Leeds United to see their hand in front of their face when they came away from Brighton & Hove Albion last season. The team put in one of their most insipid performances of the campaign — a first real sign the wheels may be coming off for Daniel Farke.

A 3-0 demolition by Fabian Hurzeler’s side was followed, eight days later, by a 3-1 away drubbing at the hands of Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest. This was last November, three weeks before the famous formation change (to a 5-3-2) which saved United’s season at Manchester City.

Questions were mounting for Farke, and nobody was enjoying his answers. Across a run of six defeats in seven matches, which left the manager’s tenure hanging by a thread, the Forest and Brighton losses were the worst.

In a strange quirk of the 2026-27 fixture list, Leeds have been sent to the scenes of those crimes in quick succession once again. The experiences have been far more rewarding and encouraging in 2026.

On the opening day at the City Ground, United were set for a good 0-0 draw until Anton Stach stole the points with a show-stopping free kick. Then on Saturday at Brighton, they took the lead and should have extended that advantage before the hosts pegged them back for a 1-1 draw.

These are two games they would have lost this time last year. This time, as in so many games since the switch to three centre-backs, it feels different for Leeds. This felt like another ghost being laid to rest, though it could have been buried far deeper with the opportunities they failed to convert.

Even in the immediate efforts prior to Jayden Bogle’s tap-in, Leeds should have scored through Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ao Tanaka. The No 9 had other openings he should have done better with in the first half, while Tanaka hit the bar.

At either end of the second half, Stach and Lukas Nmecha had great opportunities to finish it off. Tanaka even did score before a late flag went up for offside. It’s felt like a different match if Leeds had found that second, especially if it’s 2-0, but it’s hypothetical.

The reality is Leeds had to defend diligently and bravely for long periods of this game and, unlike last November, they kept their heads above the water. Farke had his own outlook on why.

“How we started the game,” he said in his post-match press conference. “We started our pressing on the front foot and wanted to make sure we don’t allow them to play their process. We had many good wins of the ball and played also with confidence.

“Overall, we played with confidence. This confidence is also hard to earn, due to a long Premier League season.

“Last season was the first time back, and you know, beforehand, you travel to Brighton, and it’s difficult. The home game we were able to win; this also gave us confidence.

“We are much more settled right now, much safer in our processes. In order to be there with a competitive game, this is what we showed today.”

Confidence was hard-earned as Leeds’s formation switch made them the seventh-best team after December 1 last season, culminating in a 14th place finish. While that was driven by practice, time on the training pitch, cohesion and better relationships, the addition of stone-cold ability clearly helps too.

James Trafford and Tarik Muharemovic have added a higher level to the Leeds backline, and it shows in displays like this. Yet again, nobody on the field bettered the Bosnian’s 13 defensive contributions, the majority of which came down to his nine clearances.

Trafford was not required to make any saves he would not expect himself to make, but that does not mean it’s not obvious how impressive a goalkeeper is. As Farke keeps saying, he has this aura of confidence which spreads through the team.

There was one dodgy pass to a Brighton attacker which the team had to nullify, but broadly, he does not make errors and keeps out what he should do between the sticks. That pair, combined with the wider structure and personnel around them, ensure the team does not collapse when home sides like Brighton, predictably, lay it on thick.

Gabriel Gudmundsson, in his first appearance of the season, has stark memories of last season’s visit to Brighton. On more than one occasion during his post-match interview, he referenced how the team would have certainly lost this match last season.

“We are almost one year from that and took steps along the way from last season,” he said, explaining the big difference between then and now. “We got better defensively.

“We came here, played a back-four, and we were still struggling. You can see now, lately and also in the spring last season, and in the winter when we changed to the five, we are really hard to beat.

“We showed today again we are very hard to beat, and it takes a lot. Credit to all the fighting, all the players who came in as well. They gave us the new energy we needed.”

Leeds have extended their unbeaten start to three matches. These were not easy fixtures either. Aside from the psychological baggage of last year’s visits, all three opponents have European aspirations this term.

Leeds have hung in. Their level is rising. The new players are making their mark. There are not too many more ghosts to lay to rest. There is less and less to fear for them in the Premier League.