Crosses but no killer touch: Newcastle leave Elland Road still hunting a first win

Newcastle United were forced to settle for another goalless away draw as Leeds United held firm in the Elland Road rain. Jacob Murphy produced the game’s two Newcastle efforts on target, stinging Lucas Perri’s gloves before half-time and drawing a fine one-handed save after it, but the decisive moment never arrived. A late scare saw Nick Pope use his boot to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the 90th minute.

Eddie Howe’s side travelled without Alexander Isak, who remains out of the picture as he looks to move on, and without Anthony Gordon, suspended after his red card against Liverpool. The club’s new record signing, 6ft 6in striker Nick Woltemade, completed a deal worth up to £69m earlier in the day but was ineligible and watched from the stands – a reminder of the finishing presence Newcastle craved.

Width without reward in the wet

Newcastle’s wide play carved the first opportunities. Inside five minutes Tino Livramento surged clear on the left and zipped a low cross across the face that evaded a finishing touch. Shortly after, Jacob Ramsey found Will Osula in the box only for Gabriel Gudmundsson to block.

A stretching Murphy then hooked another Ramsey delivery back across goal without a taker, while Fabian Schar saw a clever curled effort deflected over. The sequences were familiar: promising approach work, no one to apply the decisive contact.

Murphy leads the charge, Perri shuts the door

Murphy was Newcastle’s biggest threat. Two minutes before the interval he drilled a right-footer that Perri parried, and after the break unleashed a swerving 25-yard drive which the Leeds keeper tipped away with an excellent one-handed stop. As Jamie Carragher observed, it was end to end but with a real lack of quality.

Howe sought extra spark by introducing Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes, while Osula, making his first league start after a bright cameo against Liverpool, kept stretching the back line. Leeds, however, remained compact and combative, and the breakthrough would not come.

Waiting for Woltemade

Three games have yielded 34 shots but only two goals, a ratio that underpins the move for Woltemade. The new striker could not feature here, yet on this evidence he would have relished Newcastle’s stream of crosses and half-openings.

The clean sheet, preserved by Pope’s late save from Calvert-Lewin, offers one positive. But the broader picture remains a wait: two points from three matches, both points earned via 0-0 away draws, and a first victory still out of reach.

The road ahead

Wolves visit St James’ Park on Saturday, 13 September, a timely chance to turn territory into goals. Four days later Barcelona arrive as the Champions League begins on Tyneside.

With Gordon suspended and Isak’s future uncertain, Newcastle will hope Woltemade can hit the ground running and provide the penalty-area presence missing on a sodden night in Yorkshire.