Leeds United and Liverpool produced a breathless 3-3 draw at Elland Road, a contest overflowing with twists, a penalty, and a dramatic goal in stoppage time.
With the match still goalless at the break, nobody could have predicted the storm that was about to hit Elland Road. Liverpool came out firing in the second half, and two rapid strikes from Hugo Ekitike suddenly had them in full control.
But Leeds came roaring back. Ibrahima Konaté’s careless foul handed the home side a penalty, which Dominic Calvert-Lewin tucked away with composure. Minutes later, Anton Stach completed the comeback by smashing in the equaliser.
Just when Liverpool seemed to have steadied themselves through an 80th-minute goal from Dominik Szoboszlai, the drama reignited. Deep into injury time, Ao Tanaka struck again for Leeds, sparking scenes of celebration as the hosts salvaged a valuable point.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke shocked Paul Robinson
Daniel Farke was close to getting sacked until the results against Chelsea and Liverpool, and the performance in the defeat against Manchester City last weekend.
Robinson admitted that the German has shown to be more tactically flexible than he ever was before this week during his managerial stint at Leeds.
He indicated that he was shocked to see Farke being proactive with his substitutes against Liverpool, which he pointed out was a huge point of contention against the Leeds boss.
“What he did today, which he hasn’t done recently, or to be fair, for most of his time at Leeds, he was proactive with the substitutes”, Robinson said on Premier League Productions.
“He brought on substitutes that changed the game.
“He has been criticised for bringing on a similar type of subs around 70 or 75 minutes, and changing the personnel, not the system.
“However, in the last three games, he has been tactically versatile, and he has got a system that suits these players.”
Farke has learned his lessons this season
Daniel Farke is a fan of consistency in selection and placing his trust in a small group of players to get the job done. It worked in the Championship, but in the Premier League, the style backfired.
The Leeds boss has realised that staying married to a system doesn’t help anyone if the results are not coming, and in turn, it affects the confidence of the players.
Farke’s decision to pivot to the 5-3-2 showed that he has not only learned from his mistakes this season, but also from his experience at Norwich City.
The German is finally utilising his squad, and while he is still some way away from fixing his overall atrocious record in the Premier League, Farke is progressing.
| Matches | 64 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 10 |
| Draws | 11 |
| Losses | 43 |
| Goals For | 50 |
| Goals Conceded | 130 |
| Points | 41 |
| PPM (Points per Match) | 0.64 |
He needs to continue to do what has been working and ensure that his team do not get into another similar horror run, which saw them lose six out of seven league games.
By accident or planning, the Leeds boss has found a system that is working for the squad. He should have no reason to revert to his favoured 4-3-3 anytime soon.
