Leeds United were left heartbroken over the weekend as the Whites fell to a narrow defeat against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Whilst it is a remarkable achievement from Daniel Farke’s side to get to that stage of the competition in their first season back in the top-flight, they will be kicking themselves that they couldn’t go one better and reach the final.
Despite lengthy spells of Chelsea possession, the game was in the balance throughout its entirety, with Leeds arguably having the best chances aside from Enzo Fernandez’s header, which he ultimately converted.
Farke has seen himself again come under criticism from certain sections of the fanbase following their defeat, with Elland Road insider Graham Smyth defending the German.
Graham Smyth dismisses recent Daniel Farke criticism
If the likes of Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin managed to convert the chances they had at Wembley, then perhaps the United fanbases would be lauding Farke for another fine performance, but football is a game of fine margins.
And it was fine margins that decided the semi-final at Wembley, with some Leeds supporters claiming Farke did not set his team up to go out on the front foot enough from the get-go.
In the most recent episode of the Inside Elland Road Podcast, Smyth was quick to dismiss the criticism that Farke had received from some of the fanbase.
“I don’t think Daniel Farke’s performance as a manager was particularly egregious at Wembley, and the game was separated by one single goal that was scored directly from an uncharacteristic mistake (from Pascal Struijk), and Leeds had chances every bit as good as Chelsea’s and should’ve scored.
“I think he needs credit for what he’s done this season, and it feels like there’s an unwarranted level of anger whenever something goes wrong at Leeds, and the scapegoating quite often goes to him.”
Whilst Leeds were poor in the first half, Farke was proactive at half-time, ditching the five at the back in favour of a 4-3-3 formation, with Joe Rodon and Anton Stach entering the field after the break, which ultimately sparked a Leeds renaissance in the second half.
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Data suggests Leeds were unfortunate against Chelsea
Although it was a bitter pill to swallow for the supporters who made the trip down south to the capital, the defeat against Chelsea certainly was not Farke’s fault.
The German’s set-up kept Leeds in the game throughout, with the data reflecting this.
- Both teams had under a one xG during the game, with Chelsea having 0.4, whilst Leeds had 0.68
- Both sides also had two big chances each during the game
- Leeds had slightly more shots, with 10 compared to Chelsea’s eight (Sofascore)
If anything, the bulk of the blame should fall on the aforementioned Aaronson and Calvert-Lewin for missing their chances in front of goal.
Ultimately, with Leeds already taking four points off Chelsea in the Premier League, it was always going to be a big ask for them to get a result against them at the third time of asking.
Back in February, Leeds were extremely lucky to salvage a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, but it was Chelsea’s turn to have the rub of the green when the two sides met at Wembley.
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