Leeds United already have two major advantages in this promotion race vs last season's

Here are our five talking points from Leeds United's 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers at Elland Road in the Championship as the hosts returned to winning ways against a very limited opponent with goals from Jayden Bogle and Joel Piroe. Leeds United entirely deserved to win Saturday’s match, but it was not a vintage performance that will live long in memory. There was 69 per cent possession, 2.16 expected goals (xG), 21 shots, six on target and three big chances created, but it all just felt a little workmanlike.

That is not to dismiss the value of an efficient, no-frills victory. They have their place in a 46-game season if it ends with promotion. At the end of the latest three-match week, including a loss and a late night on the road, it’s three points Daniel Farke will take in a heartbeat.

Queens Park Rangers, though better than Plymouth Argyle seven days earlier, were a very weak and limited opponent. That’s the key context to this analysis. This was an opposition Leeds were expected to put to the sword by a significant margin, but it ended at two goals and the visitors were allowed to hang around in the game for a few spells in the second half.

They failed to muster a shot on target, but Leeds, through their own decision-making, kept giving the Loftus Road outfit little footholds. There was audible anguish and apprehension on the terraces because experience has told us all how precarious a 1-0 lead is in the Championship, regardless of opposition.

It was little flashpoints like giving away cheap free-kicks in their own third, when Joe Rodon went into the back of Paul Smyth, or when Smyth was given the time and space to dribble into the final third, committing defenders as he went. Sam Field’s chipped effort onto the roof of the net really did have hearts in mouths.

Ultimately, it just felt entirely unnecessary for it to be that nervy at times in the second period.

Bogle steps up to the plate

On the day Junior Firpo’s three-match suspension was announced by The Football Association, his right-sided equivalent stood up to be counted. Firpo’s absence will certainly be felt as an integral part of the attack down United’s left flank.

While he had his doubters in the Premier League, the Dominican has gone from strength to strength in the second tier. Firpo’s attacking input has become a vital crutch the team leans on and his suspension means others will need to bring that same vigour and quality.

Bogle’s attacking prowess has been largely impressive since his first appearances in pre-season, though his ultimate output has been overshadowed by Firpo’s up to now. In a system which relies on width to get around, or stretch, deep-lying opponents, Bogle needs to pick up the slack in the number three’s absence.

READ MORE: Leeds United player ratings as Bogle and Tanaka impress in underwhelming QPR win

READ MORE: 'I have problems with this behaviour' - Farke hits out at Millwall informer after Firpo ban

Wednesday was not a good night for Bogle either. He was one of four United players to lose nine or more duels in a physical battle with Millwall, when the hosts had the edge in the trenches.

Bogle could hardly have been more impressive on Saturday. The goal, not a stellar finish he will always remember, capped his performance off, but this was an all-round display that really saw his threat from right-back.

Nobody attempted more than Bogle’s four shots at goal, nor did anyone beat his 0.6 xG tally for the afternoon. The full-back’s five successful dribbles outpaced everyone else on the pitch too, while nobody had more than his eight touches in the opposition box either.

All of this was from right-back, remember. Nobody created more chances than Bogle’s three. Crucially, given how meek he was on Wednesday, nobody on the pitch won more duels than Bogle’s nine on Saturday.

In stark contrast, for context, Brenden Aaronson lost 14 duels and Mateo Joseph lost out to an opponent on 10 occasions. If Bogle can kick on into the middle third of the season with a performance like this, Farke is going to have a goals and assists race on his hands from his two best full-backs.

Solomon’s struggles continue

Manor Solomon would have been delighted to discover he was among the surprises in Farke’s team selection. The assumption had been the German would stick with what looked like his strongest XI on paper, beyond the injuries and suspension denying him players.

Daniel James has been decent since returning from injury, while Solomon has continued to struggle to find the special form that’s propped up the career he has had. The Israeli is visibly keen to find that spark, but could even be trying too hard now, forcing play that isn’t coming off for him.

Cruelly, Solomon applied the perfect finish to a team goal Farke later described as the strike of the season, only to see the flag was up against Sam Byram’s initial run. Aside from that excitement, there really was quite little from him to set pulses racing.

The 25-year-old just doesn’t appear to be on the same wavelength as some of his team-mates. Byram showed useful initiative in one second-half incident and played Solomon in for a forward run, but the winger didn’t see the signs and instead came inside for a return pass.

At Ashton Gate, Farke described Solomon’s long-term return to form as a bottle of ketchup they were shaking up together. Nobody knows when the sauce will start flowing again.

Subs catch the eye

Since arriving from St. Gallen in August, Isaac Schmidt has yet to get more than late introductions off the bench. Saturday did at least provide some narrative substance for Schmidt to get involved with.

Leeds were still searching for a vital second goal when Schmidt came on to take up the left-hand slot of the attack. Aaronson got the move started on their flank, but Schmidt drove inside and found Piroe with a decent weight of pass before the striker did the rest to end the game.

Schmidt was pretty bright in his cameo and will hope to build on that with his next outing, though Josuha Guilavogui already seems to be stealing the show among the substitutes. The France international got 10 minutes less than he did one week earlier for his Leeds debut, but again showed his class.

At a time when QPR were still pushing for something from their visit at only 1-0 down, Guilavogui was the ideal man to come on as an older, wiser, composed head. It was the kind of footballing brain to shut things down for the hosts and bring them over the line.

The 34-year-old ventured a little further forward than Farke was anticipating, but he showed his class in the challenge and broke play up for the hosts. It’s already plain to see how high a level Guilavogui has played at for so much of his career.

A third of the season done

We are practically at the third-way mark in the season for Leeds. They are one point better off now than they were at the same stage of last term under Farke. They were third at this stage of last year and could end the weekend in the same space if Sheffield United win the Steel City derby on Sunday.

The crucial observation which everyone has noted is the absence of Leicester City or Ipswich Town figures up to this point. Leeds will go into the final international break of 2024 with a two-point deficit to top spot, while last year that chasm was already 11 points to the Foxes.

Ipswich were second with an eight-point lead over Leeds too. The Whites still have several gears to work through before they really hit their stride in this campaign, but everything is sitting in a good place as it stands.