Leeds battle for draw at Palace to go five points clear of drop

Leeds battled for a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football which leaves them five points clear of the drop zone.

Seventeenth-placed Burnley's 1-0 victory over Wolves on Sunday piled the pressure on Leeds ahead of their trip to Selhurst Park but Jesse Marsch's side were unable to find a win of their own, with just three points separating the teams ahead of the final five games of the season.

Leeds head coach Marsch told Sky Sports it was a "big point that gets us closer to our ultimate goal" while admitting that there was some disappointment with the overall performance.

It was a game of few chances, but Palace were dominant and will feel disappointed they failed to secure a win that would have taken them to 40 points and put to bed any remaining concerns of relegation.

While Leeds will be pleased to have come away with a point, it leaves them in a precarious position ahead of a tough run-in which includes matches against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Eighteenth-placed Everton have a game in hand on Leeds and Burnley, which if they win could see Frank Lampard's side close the gap between themselves and the Whites to two points.

After 16 days since their 3-0 win at Watford, Marsch blamed a lack of "game sharpness" on his side's slow start in south London, with Palace twice coming close to opening the scoring inside 20 minutes.

Jean-Philippe Mateta was involved in both incidents, with a case of poor finishing letting him down initially, before Leeds defender Diego Llorente's vital touch in the six-yard box prevented a certain goal after an inviting low cross from Jordan Ayew.

For Leeds, it was a half of few chances, with Liam Cooper registering their only shot on target with a header from a corner that