Leeds United's star bargain, Victor Orta's post-game gesture and off-camera Crystal Palace moments

The Whites are unbeaten in five under the American and have a five-point lead over 18th-placed Everton, who have played one game fewer.

Good day

Illan Meslier

A second clean sheet in succession. They have been hard to come by in 2022 for the 22-year-old, who so often cut a forlorn figure as he plucked the ball out of his net umpteen times during Leeds' most difficult spell. His double save from Wilfried Zaha was a highlight of his performance.

Liam Cooper

Leeds United spent a lot of money on both Robin Koch and Diego Llorente, while Pascal Struijk has been hailed as a big star for the future and a very decent option at centre-half for the present, but it's the man signed for £600,000 from newly-promoted League One Chesterfield in 2014 who is proving vital to the cause. Cooper was not as dominant at Palace as he was at Watford but he was still Leeds' best outfield player. The captain's return has come at the right time for the Whites and he's showing the organisation, leadership and defensive solidity they missed when he was out with the hamstring tear.

Michael Olise

He was barely on the pitch before he was giving Leeds a torrid time of it. The winger is not only rapid, he's got a huge amount of flair and skill and at the age of 20 looks destined for big things.

Conor Gallagher

The 'here's what you could have won' performance that was inevitable from a player Leeds wanted but didn't get. His whipped ball over the top and around the corner into the right full-back position in the first half was worth the admission fee alone. Probed, caused problems, found space, came close to scoring a goal and generally annoyed Leeds. His pressing was an irritation and he didn't shy away from physicality having been hammered by huge, fair Leeds United tackles. A very good player.

Bad day

Stuart Dallas

Doing a job at left-back can be a thankless task when you're up against Premier League wingers, especially at Crystal Palace. Leeds' new system has made it harder for teams to play through the middle and cut them apart, but it has put a huge amount of pressure and responsibility on the full-backs. Not only must they provide width going forward, they can find themselves isolated and targetted with big spaces to cover defensively. Palace found a lot of joy down their right.

Mateusz Klich

With the pinball nature of the first half, at least from Leeds' perspective, and the tendency to go long, Klich was in danger of getting a sore neck from watching the ball go over him or around him. He couldn't get into it and looked frustrated as he talked to Jesse Marsch on the touchline during a break in play. Marsch hooked him at the break for the more defensive Robin Koch, although Leeds' midfield didn't get much better at all in possession.

Off-camera moments

Kalvin Phillips likes to be one of the last players out on the pitch during the warm-up and often ends his routine with a shot from distance. At Palace it was a free-kick, from around 25 yards, and he pinged it beautifully into the top left hand corner. Having trotted off, with a grin and a wave for some away fans, he next appeared when Leeds emerged from the dressing room prior to kick-off and had a little dance to Palace's Selhurst Park pre-game playlist. Luke Ayling enjoyed it too, swaying to Three Little Birds. Phillips was evidently delighted to be back and while he couldn't have the exact influence on the game he would have wanted, he will be vital for Leeds. There were signs of the physicality he brings and the intensity he can offer in pressing opposition sides but Marsch will need to work on getting the very best of Phillips on and off the ball.

There are many differences between Marsch and his precedessor Marcelo Bielsa and one of the most noticeable is his proximity to the players. Bielsa never came out onto the pitch before a game with the staff and squad but there was Marsch at Selhurst Park, testing out the surface in his brilliantly-white trainers and poring over the Palace line-up with some of his staff and players, as team manager Matt Grice delivered the team sheet.

Marsch, like Bielsa before him, cuts an animated figure on the touchline and involves himself fully with the fourth official and, on occasion, the opposition. At Selhurst Park he was wagging a finger at Wilfried Zaha after the winger eluded Raphinha's challenge with somewhat of a rugby hand-off.

There was plenty of off-the-ball interaction between the two sets of players as the game heated up. Mateusz Klich and Zaha had words in the first half, Daniel James and Joel Ward had more than words after the Leeds man's rash tackle on the defender, and in the second half Joachim Andersen engaged in a confrontation with Joe Gelhardt who arrived a little late to challenge the defender.

With the game drawn, Marsch and his players left the pitch to be greeted by Leeds staff outside the dressing room and director of football Victor Orta who made a point of clasping hands with each and every member of the squad.