Leeds United lost their first game of the year against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side during the week. The Whites had turned their season around over the last few games.
Now, their six-game unbeaten run has ended. Daniel Farke and the players have done a really good job over the last month. Many will forget that Leeds were tipped to be relegated when they had a brief stint in the relegation zone after a winless run. Farke was also on the verge of being sacked according to reports.
The club have now put themselves in a firm position for the second half of the season, with survival looking like a very achievable target.
Micah Richards admits Leeds United were going to concede late to Magpies
The two sides played a really exciting game at St. James’ Park, but it will not be a game to remember for Leeds United fans. Micah Richards, who was watching the game, admitted after that at some point he knew that Daniel Farke’s side were going to concede late goals.
“When Aaronson scored on 79 minutes, I put in the group chat (with Shearer and Lineker), there are more goals in this, I just knew it.
“I knew Newcastle were going to score at some stage.” he said on the Rest is Football podcast.
On Wednesday night, Leeds conceded four goals in a game – the same number of goals they had let in during their last five matches combined.
Leeds were too naïve at St. James’ Park
In the previous games against Manchester United and Liverpool, many could see the change in approach from Daniel Farke. It was a more conservative, defensive approach at Anfield. They sat back and kept the Reds out for 90 minutes, limiting them to just half chances. Even though they did conceded against Manchester United it was a defensive error. They managed to frustrate their opponents in that game too.
| Statistic | |
|---|---|
| Goals conceded | 4 |
| Expected goals against | 2.44 |
| Big chances conceded | 3 |
| Shots against | 18 |
| Possession | 37% |
So it was a bit of a surprise when they played a high-scoring draw at St. James’ Park. The game was too open over the 90 minutes, and Leeds showed no signs of being defensive in the game. It played a huge part in how Newcastle were able to get back in the game. Ignoring the controversial penalty, Farke did not control the game nor shut up shop, they just allowed the Magpies to keep attacking.
