With six goals in five matches, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is one of the Premier League's in-form players. Football writers Dan Edwards and Ben Bloom analyse the forward’s growing influence for Leeds United.
When Leeds United entered half-time trailing by two goals at Manchester City on 29 November, staring down the barrel of a fourth consecutive defeat in the Premier League, manager Daniel Farke would have been left contemplating how he could save the club from relegation, and how he could save his own job in the process.
He decided to alter Leeds’ approach entirely, substituting wingers Wilfried Gnonto and Daniel James for central defender Jaka Bijol and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, which meant switching from a possession-based 4-3-3 formation to a more direct 3-5-2 set-up.
Leeds' 4-3-3 formation
Leeds' 3-5-2 formation
Not only did Farke’s decision alter his team’s tactical approach, but it also altered the trajectory of the club’s entire season.
Leeds still went on to lose the match in stoppage time, but they recovered to 2-2 from going two-nil down after 25 minutes, more than trebling City’s Expected Goals (xG) output in the second half.
This was a sign of what was to come: wins against Chelsea and Crystal Palace, and draws against Liverpool and Brentford – a string of results that now puts Leeds six points clear of the relegation zone.
If Farke wasn’t the greatest beneficiary of his switch in modus operandi, then Calvert-Lewin certainly was.
Including the City match, the former Everton forward has now scored in five consecutive league matches (six goals in total) – the first time he has done so since October 2020 with the Toffees.
He is a striker who excels in associative play, clearly benefiting from having team-mates in close proximity.
It is notable that his best goalscoring return to date, 16 goals in 2020/21 for Everton under Carlo Ancelotti, came with Richarlison and James Rodriguez both drifting into central roles to combine with Calvert-Lewin.
“I enjoy having bodies around me”, Calvert-Lewin told Sky Sports after his brace against Palace.
“It can be a lonely role up there on your own. With bodies around you, you can link play, and I think that's why I've had success recently.”
He is taking a similar number of touches per 90 minutes before and after Leeds’ switch in formation, but a larger percentage of his touches are coming inside the box – a rise from 14 per cent to 25 per cent.
This has resulted in an increase in ‘‘big chances’’ for Calvert-Lewin, from 0.9 per 90 minutes to 1.6 per 90 minutes, while his conversion rate of 43 per cent across his last five games is a huge uplift on his rate of five per cent prior.
It is abundantly clear that Leeds’ switch to a two-striker formation has spun their season on its head, making them a frightening proposition for any opponent.
Calvert-Lewin can’t stop scoring
As Calvert-Lewin watched on from the substitutes’ bench during the UEFA European Championship final in 2021, he must have felt at the peak of his powers.
No doubt he would loved to have come on and fired England to glory in a match they would ultimately lose to Italy on penalties.
But Calvert-Lewin had already featured twice in the tournament – including the quarter-final win over Ukraine – and was in the scoring form of his life.
From September 2019 to May 2021, only Harry Kane had scored more Premier League goals than Calvert-Lewin. At the age of 24, the then Everton striker seemed to have the world at his feet.
That Calvert-Lewin has not been named on an England teamsheet since would have seemed unlikely back then. But, given his travails, it is perhaps even more unexpected that he is now being linked with an international recall.
The weight of goals speaks volumes though, and Calvert-Lewin cannot stop scoring, with six in his last five Leeds appearances.
Calvert-Lewin's PL career since 16/17
| Season | Apps | Mins | Goals | Mins per Goal | Shot Conversion % | Touches |
| 2025/26 | 15 | 1,032 | 7 | 147 | 21.2 | 29.7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 26 | 1,613 | 3 | 538 | 6.0 | 33.3 |
| 2023/24 | 32 | 2,187 | 7 | 312 | 9.6 | 33.1 |
| 2022/23 | 17 | 1,172 | 2 | 586 | 6.5 | 31.8 |
| 2021/22 | 17 | 1,285 | 5 | 257 | 15.2 | 33.5 |
| 2020/21 | 33 | 2,874 | 16 | 180 | 19.3 | 35.8 |
| 2019/20 | 36 | 2,629 | 13 | 202 | 15.3 | 34.5 |
| 2018/19 | 35 | 1,775 | 6 | 296 | 11.5 | 40.7 |
| 2017/18 | 32 | 1,875 | 4 | 469 | 9.3 | 40.6 |
| 2016/17 | 11 | 345 | 1 | 345 | 14.3 | 43.0 |
Scroll across to see the full table
Career revival
There were certainly a few eyebrows raised when Leeds chose Calvert-Lewin as the striker they needed upon promotion to the Premier League last summer.
Since the highs of the the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns that saw him score 15 and 21 goals respectively across all competitions, Calvert-Lewin had developed an unwanted reputation for being one of the top-flight’s least clinical finishers.
Over the course of three injury-plagued seasons from 2022/23 to 2024/25, he scored just 12 times from an xG total of 25.7 – the biggest underperformance of any player by more than five goals.
Yet, upon expiry of his Everton contract – after nine years at Goodison Park – Leeds were eager to take a punt on a player they were adamant retained considerable ability.
“It’s a chance for him to revive his career and reach his former heights when he was outstanding at the Premier League level, and it’s a big chance for us because we’ve got a proven Premier League player,” said Farke.
“The key for him right now is not to be over-motivated. We will build his fitness step by step so that he finds confidence back in his body and his rhythm. If he does so, he has shown what he can do and he can be outstanding for us.”
Premier League’s most in-form striker
It was a slow start to his Leeds career. Following last season’s three-goal Everton campaign, Calvert-Lewin began his Elland Road stint by scoring just once in 10 appearances.
By mid-November, his starting spot had gone and relegation-threatened Leeds looked in trouble.
Then came the upturn that Farke had predicted. After coming off the bench at half-time against Man City – and aided by Farke’s switch to a 3-5-2 formation – Calvert-Lewin scored within four minutes and almost inspired Leeds to an unlikely win at the Etihad Stadium.
Restored to the starting XI, further goals followed against Chelsea, Liverpool, Brentford and then two in last weekend’s victory over Palace.
Leeds are now unbeaten in four matches, have pulled six points clear of the bottom three, and have the most in-form striker in the Premier League.
His two goals against Palace extended his scoring streak to five successive league matches – the joint-longest run of his career after a similar five-game period for Everton in September and October 2020.
Since the last international break in mid-November, no one has more Premier League goals than Calvert-Lewin’s six.
The contrast between the past five matches and the 36 that preceded them is stark.
How Calvert-Lewin compares
| Statistics | Last five matches | Previous 36 matches |
| Mins played | 398 | 2,247 |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 6 | 4 |
| Mins per goal | 66 | 562 |
| Total shots | 14 | 69 |
| Shot conversion (%) | 42.9 | 5.8 |
| Expected Goals | 4.23 | 8.83 |
England recall?
“It was never in doubt,” said Farke.
“His CV speaks for itself, an unbelievable human being, an unbelievable hard worker. We are blessed to have him. Harry Kane is playing in the Bundesliga, but he is one of the best English strikers in the Premier League.”
Based on recent weeks, that is irrefutable. No English player has more top-flight goals this season than Calvert-Lewin.
With Ollie Watkins the likely back-up to Kane, Calvert-Lewin is inserting himself into the conversation for a possible final striker spot in England’s World Cup squad next summer, alongside the likes of Danny Welbeck, Dominic Solanke, Ivan Toney and Liam Delap.
Asked about a potential first England call-up since 2021, Calvert-Lewin said last weekend: “I don’t get carried away.
"My job remains the same whether I’m scoring or not scoring. I work hard, lead the line for my team and the rest takes care of itself.”
There was also a word of warning from Farke, who challenged: “To label him a top-class player for Leeds, he doesn’t have to just show this for a couple of weeks or months, he has to show it over the course of the whole season.”
The current goalscoring streak may yet prove a brief plateau, or it could herald the return of one of England’s best strikers.