Brentford and Leeds United played out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League on December 14, 2025. Jordan Henderson scored his first goal for Brentford in the 70th minute, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin equalized for Leeds eight minutes from time.
Match Overview
In a scrappy Premier League encounter at Brentford's home, the Bees took the lead through Jordan Henderson's strike in the 70th minute. The 35-year-old midfielder, on his first goal for the club, struck via a post from Rico Henry’s lay-off, becoming Brentford's oldest-ever scorer in the top flight.
Leeds leveled in the 82nd minute when Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed in Wilfried Gnonto’s cross, marking his fourth consecutive Premier League goal and extending Leeds' unbeaten run to three games with a second successive draw. The result moved Leeds three points clear of the relegation zone.
Key Incident: VAR Decision
The most notable pre-half-time moment was a lengthy VAR check that ruled out a penalty for Brentford. Gabriel Gudmundsson was adjudged to have fouled Dango Ouattara, but the forward was offside by millimeters. Referee John Brooks announced the decision on-pitch after a three-minute delay. Former Scotland international Pat Nevin commented on BBC Sport: “That is the softest of soft ones. If you touch a player at all, they fall down. It’s millimetres – it’s just a couple of inches of his head that was offside.” Ouattara, who joined Brentford for a club-record £42 million from Bournemouth, has been awarded four penalties this season.
Ethan Ampadu came close to putting Leeds ahead earlier.
Team News
Brentford made four changes to their lineup: Aaron Hickey, Vitaly Janelt, Mathias Jensen, and Keane Lewis-Potter started, replacing Kristoffer Ajer, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Mikkel Damsgaard, and the suspended Kevin Schade. Injuries sidelined Reiss Nelson (knock), Fabio Carvalho, Josh Dasilva, and Antoni Milambo (knees). Starting XI: Caoimhin Kelleher, Michael Kayode, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg, Aaron Hickey, Dango Ouattara, Jordan Henderson, Mathias Jensen, Vitaly Janelt, Keane Lewis-Potter, Igor Thiago.
Leeds, managed by Daniel Farke, made one change with Ao Tanaka replacing Ilia Gruev. Injuries kept out Sean Longstaff (calf), Lukas Nmecha (hamstring), and Dan James (hamstring until February). Starting XI: Lucas Perri, Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol, Pascal Struijk, Jayden Bogle, Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor.
Brentford's recent form included home wins over Burnley, Newcastle, and Liverpool, despite 2-0 losses at Tottenham and Arsenal. Leeds had beaten Chelsea 3-1 and drawn 3-3 with Liverpool on December 6 after six defeats in seven.
Next, Brentford face Manchester City in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, while Leeds host Crystal Palace.
