Brenden Aaronson, after Leeds United survived a scare at Middlesbrough, warned the supporters against expecting ‘our best football’ during the remaining five matches of the season.
Fatigue, after all, is setting in all across the Championship.
Ao Tanaka was in tears in the Leeds dressing room – ‘I am just so empty and tired’, the Japan international told Daniel Farke at full-time – while Aaronson feels that the sort of sparkling, free-flowing football seen at Elland Road only a couple of months ago may be difficult to replicate as April turns to May.
Yet, while Leeds United were far from their scintillating best at Middlesbrough even as Tanaka and Patrick Bamford both saw goals wrongly disallowed – robbed of a statement 3-0 victory on the road – the moment which decided the game was Farke-ball at it’s best.
Junior Firpo ‘fantastic’ as Dan James strike sees Leeds United beat Middlesbrough
Much has been made this term of the freedom afforded to Leeds’ rampaging full-backs.
Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle have been ‘absolutely incredible’, to quote Michael Bridges, when it comes to drifting into spaces and creating room for the likes of James and Manor Solomon to wreak havoc in the final third.
With less than two minutes on the clock in the North East, Firpo wandered from left-back into a central midfield role vacated by Ilia Gruev. He then played in Solomon with the sort of inch-perfect pass a seasoned playmaker would have been proud of.
Much to the delight of former Leeds boss Neil Warnock, sitting alongside Stuart Dallas in the Sky Sports studio, Dan James converted Solomon’s cross to score the goal which saw the Yorkshire giants leapfrog Burnley and Sheffield United into top spot once again.
“We talk about playing on the front foot, and it was a dream start,” said Dallas, a key part of Marcelo Bielsa’s Championship winning Leeds side from 2019/20.
“It starts with Gruev dropping into a left back position. Firpo is clever with his movement, a fantastic through ball and look at the desire of Dan James to go and get on the end of it.
“Big performance, big result. I’m delighted for them. There’s been a lot of questions asked in the last few weeks. To get a win is huge.”
Firpo has been a revelation under a hugely-impressed Daniel Farke
A ‘world-class’ Junior Firpo has been one of Leeds’ finest sources of creativity since returning from an injury in the winter.
Nine assists and three goals now for the one-time Barcelona man. And while his delicious through ball to set Solomon away will not be reflected in those tallies, his growing influence in the final third was clear to see once again.
With reports claiming that Junior Firpo could leave Leeds for Real Betis once his contract expires, finding a replacement capable of emulating his impact at both ends of the pitch will be far from straightforward.
“Overall, you know I’m a big fan of Junior Firpo,” Farke said earlier in the campaign, the Dominican Republic international earning cult hero status after a difficult first few seasons in England.
“Through my whole time here, I’ve supported him. And when he was fit, he was straight into the starting line-up. He’s repaid us, shining in the offensive areas.
“I like how he develops his personality. He is taking more and more responsibility and also for the team.”
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