First-half fireworks: Leeds end drought and claim first away win with 3-1 comeback at Wolves

Leeds shed their scoring anxiety in spectacular fashion, overturning an early deficit with three first-half goals to beat Wolves 3-1 at Molineux. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s towering header, Anton Stach’s exquisite free-kick and Noah Okafor’s ice-cool finish delivered Daniel Farke’s first Premier League away victory of the season.

Arriving without a goal in three league games, Leeds struck three times in 15 minutes and then managed the contest with control. Karl Darlow’s authority underpinned a composed second half, and the win lifts Leeds into the top half while consigning Wolves to a fifth straight defeat.

Calvert-Lewin points the way

The response began with a classic centre-forward’s intervention. Down 1-0 to Ladislav Krejci’s early strike, Leeds levelled when Calvert-Lewin climbed above Mosquera to meet Jayden Bogle’s deflected cross with a looping header beyond Jose Sa — his first Premier League goal since January and his first in Leeds colours.

Moments later he drew the foul that invited Stach to the stage, Krejci bundling into him 20 yards out. Farke beamed afterwards: “Dominic is a proven goalscorer … outstanding with his head … a proven player at this level.” Fit and focal again, he led the line with the maturity Leeds needed.

Stach’s statement and Okafor’s surge

Stach’s set-piece was the moment of the match: a thwacked, arcing free-kick that flew into the top corner with the Wolves wall, Jean Ricner-Bellegarde at its edge, powerless to intervene. It was the German’s first goal for the club, and it crowned a display from a midfielder who arrived at the weekend as the only Premier League player with at least ten shots and ten chances created.

Leeds’ third was forged by aggression and speed. Stach intercepted Emmanuel Agbadou’s loose pass and immediately released Okafor, who took the pass in stride and drilled low into the far corner beneath Sa. The winger’s output matched the eye test: he attempted 14 dribbles — 12 before half-time — an indicator of the menace he carried down the left.

Control and resilience after the interval

Wolves shuffled with a triple change at the break, but Leeds’ game management was calm. The visitors adopted a compact shape and picked their moments to counter, while Darlow produced sharp stops to tip Munetsi’s looping header over and later thwart Mosquera. The margin rarely looked at risk.

The numbers underline the significance. It was Leeds’ first Premier League away win since a 4-2 success here in March 2023 and the first time they scored three first-half goals in a top-flight away game since December 2020. After failing to score since Lukas Nmecha’s late penalty against Everton on 18 August, the dam finally burst.

Turning the narrative

Farke cautioned against wild swings in mood — “the narrative around this club changes each and every week” — but there was plenty to like about a performance that balanced ferocity with composure. The away end celebrated long after the whistle as the players saluted a first away win and a first batch of league goals since the opening-day win over Everton.

Leeds now head back to Elland Road with momentum to face Bournemouth. Wolves, beaten and booed, must reset in the Carabao Cup against Everton before travelling to Tottenham. For Leeds, the mission now is consistency; for Wolves, damage limitation before revival.