Leeds United continued their unbeaten run on Sunday with a 1-1 draw against fellow newly-promoted side Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, but Stuart Dallas has been critical.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s brilliant run of form continued as the England striker netted his seventh goal in six games. The former Everton man has now scored in each of Leeds’ last six Premier League matches.
Did Leeds deserve to take more from their draw with Sunderland? 🤔
DCL was the hero once again at the Stadium of Light
His goal, a gorgeous team goal, cancelled out Simon Adingra’s opener. A goal that Alan Pardew believes would not have happened if Joe Rodon had not picked up an ankle injury, eventually forcing him off.
But a 1-1 draw was probably the fairest result on the day as Leeds stretched the gap between themselves and the relegation zone to seven points, with West Ham suffering a 1-0 home loss to Fulham on Saturday.
Stuart Dallas thinks Daniel Farke made one big mistake
Leeds were perhaps the better side in the first half, but in the second, Leeds took the game to Sunderland for the first 30 minutes. Calvert-Lewin equalised soon after the restart and Leeds were dominating.
But the decision to take Noah Okafor off coincided with Leeds losing some impetus and towards the end of the game, it was actually Sunderland who had the momentum. Leeds icon Stuart Dallas discussed it.
He told LUTV’s The Verdict that Farke is paid the “big money” to make the big decisions, but he believes the Leeds manager was wrong to take £18m signing Okafor off, with the Swiss star having impressed.
“The subs took some of the sting out of the game, we were on top. In recent weeks, those games have had an impact. Okafor was having a decent game, he was lively, he was creating things,” Dallas said.
“But those changes disrupted things. Look, he gets paid big money, it’s easy to say things in hindsight. Okafor rarely finishes a game, does he? You’ve got to be fit at this stage in the season,” Dallas added.
Who was your MOTM for Leeds against Sunderland? 🤔
Some excellent performances again.
Noah Okafor substitution highlights Leeds lack of depth
It is understandable why Farke opted to remove Okafor, who as Dallas rightly points out, rarely completes 90 minutes. The draw against Sunderland was the first of five games Leeds play in the next fortnight.
It is also, perhaps, why Calvert-Lewin was spared the last 10 minutes. Leeds go to Liverpool on Thursday before hosting Man United on Sunday. Newcastle on Tyneside, before Derby in the FA Cup on the 11th.
This is the busiest rotation of fixtures that the Leeds squad has faced this season, and keeping players fit like Okafor and Calvert-Lewin, who are explosive but also injury-prone, is absolutely crucial for Leeds.
The issue Farke has is that the players coming on to replace the likes of Calvert-Lewin, Okafor, and other starting players is that the drop off is considerable. It highlights the need to invest come January.
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