Leeds United sprung another huge surprise over the weekend when Crystal Palace visited Elland Road. Going into the game, the Whites were three games unbeaten in the Premier League.
They had turned a corner after losing four straight games after their victory over West Ham. On Saturday, Leeds took the lead in the first half when Dominic Calvert-Lewin pounced to score in his fifth league game in a row. The striker was on hand to double the lead just before half time after some quick thinking from defender Jaka Bijol.
Goals from Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach rounded out the game in the second half, with Palace managing to pull one back from the penalty spot.
Jamie Redknapp thinks Leeds United boss would have been sacked weeks ago
When discussing the result, and Leeds’ current form, Jamie Redknapp believes that Farke would have been sacked if his side did not put in that second half performance at the Etihad.
| Statistic | |
|---|---|
| Points | 8 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Goals Scored | 11 |
| Big Chances | 10 |
| Expected Goals | 8.49 |
“I think if he would have stayed at half-time until the end of the game at Man City and not got that performance, I don’t think Daniel Farke would still be in a job.” he said on Sky Sports.
“I think it was that precarious for him. But now you see by sticking with the manager and sticking with the plan, you can see the results have come from it.
“You look at the Chelsea result, which was huge for them and then the Liverpool one where they come back from being 2-0 down and 3-2 down.
“Then you look at the Brentford result which was a good point with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring and then today, I thought they were brilliant.
“Sure Crystal Palace were running on fumes, but they were excellent were Leeds. Ethan Ampadu in midfielder, Calvert-Lewin up front and then solid defensively.”
READ MORE: Oliver Glasner slams ’embarrassing’ Crystal Palace as Leeds United run riot
Daniel Farke has breathed new life in the team
The City game was a blueprint for what has happened in the last few games. Farke switching to a 3-5-2 has been able to get a lot out of the players in the team, with some playing their best football under the Leeds boss.
It is not just the formation alone, the team now has serious confidence going into games knowing they can get a result. This team dominated Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side over a week ago, and came from 2-0 down to get a point at Liverpool. Leeds got their first point on the road since September away to Brentford last weekend, and now have recorded a huge win over Crystal Palace. If the club can keep this up for the rest of the season, then their push for survival could be successful.
