Leeds and Hull are European Front Runners… What F*cking Year Is It?!

Arsenal, Man City, Leeds United and Hull - Just Your Average Premier League Top Four

After a 4-1 hammering of a sorry Newcastle United on Monday night football, Leeds highlighted their credentials as early contenders for a surprise European spot, something they haven’t come anywhere close to since 2002, shaking up the Premier League table in the process.

⚪️ Leeds 4-1 Newcastle ⚫️

Goals: Miley 32' (OG), Bogle 34', Calvert-Lewin 45+1', Okafor 59'. 💥 pic.twitter.com/fVMtoVgt28

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) September 15, 2026

Defeating a side that spent in excess of £260 million on incoming transfer over the summer while making them look like a newly promoted side is no mean feat, particularly when it is considered that last season, Leeds themselves were Premier League newbies after lifting the Championship title.

But something is afoot at Elland Road - Daniel Farke and his men in white have undergone a profound transformation in the last 12 months, and along with Hull City early surge for European football, it has us guessing if we’re back in the glory days of Leeds United continental runs, or a future where Hull City are actually a threat!

Farke-ing Great Mate

It wasn’t so long ago that Daniel Farke’s job was at risk - in fact it was as recently as December that the German was staring at the exit door if results didn’t improve. So the former Norwich coach took everyone’s advice, and locked in.

In the nine months or so since his job was last rumoured to be up for grabs, Leeds have lost just five times in the league, and seven times across all competitions, a period which spans 36 competitive games and six friendlies. Surely, it is one of the most dramatic pivots in form sign from a Premier League side in recent times.

The focal point of Leeds’ resurgence has been their form at home - Elland Road is renowned for its unbelievable noise and intimidating atmosphere, and the Whites have been putting this setting to good use.

It also seems that playing at home under the lights has a strange effect on Farke’s players. Last night’s win was the 24th time that the German had taken to the Elland Road dugout for a game kicking off at 7:45 or later, and quite incredibly, he has emerged victorious in every single one of those games.

Naturally, some of those stem back to their time in the Championship, where Leeds were more likely to be considered favourites than underdogs, but still, it is a remarkable stat, and creates an aura about Elland Road that travelling sides can’t help but register, regardless of whether they are trying to ignore it, and the reputation it carries.

Since this tweet, Leeds have lost just 5 of 29 games.

No one has ever locked in harder than Daniel Farke has over the last nine months. https://t.co/DGb8TL9D9p

— Out of Context Football Manager (@nocontextfm1) September 15, 2026

Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Man United have all come away from the ground either with their tales between their legs or fortunate to register a draw in the last nine months, and after some savvy summer spending on players who fit his system perfectly, Farke is reaping the rewards - every single player looks willing to die for him, as it’s not just them who fit his style, but his style also fits them.

The last time Leeds played in Europe saw them eliminated in the third round of the 2003 UEFA Cup, while just two years prior to that, they somehow dragged themselves all the way to a Champions League semi-final - if Farke and his men keep on working and commit to the style they are using, what is stopping us from seeing this again?

Mauled By The Tigers

I know that Hull City have already been talked to death in the early days of this season, and yes, Brighton and Brentford are also going relatively unnoticed in the early jostles for European position - but the Tigers have simply been so impressive, it would be downright weird if I didn’t discuss them.

Sergej Jakirovic’s side were so impressive at Chelsea. It wasn’t thanks to the number of chances that they created, nor did they exhibit any particular freedom that comes with sides competing at the top. It was their organisation that caught my attention.

They may have conceded two goals (their first two in the league this season), but that was always likely against a front line of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. The fact that they managed to have more shots (14) than that attacking trio (12) is the impressive part.

Their defending was stoic, committed and unwavering, and when they won the ball, they employed a mixture of intricate passages of play on the counter-attack and the ruthless punishing of naive Chelsea mistakes, both of which earned them their two goals. We would even argue that they were unlucky not to win, with Martinez forced into a couple of vital saves in the Chelsea goal throughout the second period.

It’s a plan that the Tigers have consistently employed this season - be patient, defend well, and eventually, the opposition will make their own mistakes. From there, it is simply a matter of whether they have the quality to capitalize on them, and so far, it is clear they do.

Hull are averaging the lowest possession (29.4%) of any team across Europe's top five leagues. 🐯#HCAFC pic.twitter.com/fvzoAotnm3

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) September 15, 2026

Unlike fellow high-flyers Leeds, Hull have absolutely zero European pedigree whatsoever, with their closest shave with continental football their participation in the 1972 Anglo-Italian Cup, a glorified friendly tournament in which Hull did not even escape the group stages.

However, if we have learnt anything about the Premier League, it is that it is never possible to predict it, and if Leeds and Hull continue their current trajectories, serious shockwaves look destined to be sent out across English football.