Kroupi’s stoppage-time volley denies Leeds after set-piece tussle at Elland Road

Eli Junior Kroupi struck deep into stoppage time to earn Bournemouth a 2-2 draw and deny Leeds United back-to-back Premier League wins. The 19-year-old substitute arrived on the left and volleyed home in the third of five added minutes, a gut-punch for a Leeds side that had largely controlled the second half and looked to have done enough.

The game’s rhythm was set early by missed chances and set pieces. Antoine Semenyo’s low free-kick under the wall put the Cherries ahead before Joe Rodon powered in a header from a Sean Longstaff corner to level. Longstaff then thumped in a precision half-volley after the interval, only for Kroupi to pounce late. All four goals stemmed from dead balls on a day when Leeds rued early profligacy and Bournemouth clung to moments that mattered.

Petrovic and Calvert-Lewin set the tone early

Leeds could have been in front inside 15 seconds. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, searching for a first goal at Elland Road as a Leeds player, was sent clear immediately from kick-off but saw Djordje Petrovic spring out to block. It proved the first episode in a personal duel that continued to tilt Bournemouth’s way, as the goalkeeper won key one‑on‑ones through sharp positioning and reflex saves.

Those missed opportunities lingered. Daniel Farke admitted afterwards that only one team spurned the ‘big chances’—his. The manager praised his side’s volume of attempts and intensity but lamented the lack of a decisive finish before Bournemouth landed their first blow.

Semenyo’s under-the-wall strike, Leeds’ set-piece riposte

On 26 minutes, Semenyo drilled a free-kick from the edge of the area beneath a jumping wall, squeezing it around the feet of Brenden Aaronson—deployed as the so-called draft excluder—and beyond Karl Darlow. It was Leeds’ first goal conceded at Elland Road this season, the kind of tiny lapse that gets punished at this level.

Leeds responded via the same department that had hurt them. Longstaff, whose corner deliveries were a feature throughout, swung to the back post where Rodon rose highest and headed toward goal, a slight touch on the way wrong-footing Petrovic. It brought Elland Road roaring back to life and restored belief approaching the break.

Longstaff’s arrival and a finish that stung

Eight minutes into the second half, Longstaff underlined an eye-catching performance. The midfielder, early in his Leeds career, met a dropping ball at the top of the box with a crisp half-volley that cannoned in off the post for his first goal in Leeds colours, having already assisted the equaliser. In his fourth start since arriving from Newcastle United, he looked at the heart of everything good for the hosts.

Leeds then defended with grit as Bournemouth chased parity, but the decisive late set play undid them. David Brooks whipped in a free-kick, Marcos Senesi won the first contact and the loose ball reached Kroupi on the left, where he was afforded just enough room to sweep a volley past Darlow. Leeds had dropped too deep by Farke’s own admission, and a momentary lapse in tracking cost them in stoppage time.

What the draw means

The point lifts Bournemouth to third and confirms their best start to a Premier League season after six matches, with 11 points and only an opening-day defeat on the ledger. Andoni Iraola acknowledged it was a physical, scrappy contest, with his side struggling in aerial duels but capitalising late when it counted.

Leeds, 11th, remain unbeaten at home (one win, two draws) yet will feel a late opportunity to climb higher slipped away. Farke called it a valuable point but rued the decisive details—‘unlucky not to get three points’—after a performance full of energy and chances. Next up, Leeds host Tottenham on Saturday, 4 October (12:30 BST), while Bournemouth welcome Fulham on Friday, 3 October (20:00).