By Daniel Farke’s own admission, the sense of restlessness around Elland Road was understandable even as Leeds United squeezed the life out of Millwall.
With the scoreline only 1-0 – and with the visitors carrying such a set-piece threat at the other end through their 6ft 5ins giant Jake Cooper in particular – the Leeds United boss really didn’t fancy the idea of hanging on in stoppage time up against a barrage of late Millwall attacks.
So, as Ao Tanaka blasted the home side into a match-clinching 2-0 lead with 85 minutes on the clock, no one was more relieved than the man in the Elland Road dugout.
Daniel Farke knew that Leeds needed to respond after that defeat at Portsmouth on Sunday. A result which, while bringing an end to a staggering 17-match unbeaten run in Championship action, opened the door for Burnley, Sheffield United and even Sunderland to dream again.
Daniel Farke lauds Ao Tanaka’s ‘wonderful’ strike as Leeds United see off Millwall
The Whites did not quite slam the door shut again on Wednesday night.
But Leeds did take another big stride towards Premier League football, thanks in part to another wonderful finish from a man who is starting to make eye-catching late strikes something of a party trick in 2025.
“Pleased and happy. Delighted for the boys and also for the supporters because a game after a loss is always very difficult. you have to shake off the disappointment,” Farke explained in his post-match interview with Leeds’ in-house media channel.
“Even though you have an unbelievable streak before, [losing] does something to your confidence. Excellent that we returned to our best, defending well, clean sheet, they didn’t have one chance. Maybe one half-chance in the first-half.
“We were still not that free-flowing like we are used to be because, to get the momentum back, you have to fight your way into the game.
“Second half was excellent. We certainly missed too many chances to score goals, for that you are always a bit nervous until you bury the game. And Ao Tanaka today, with a wonderful strike, was able to bury the game.
“Perfect game for us and our supporters.”
Farke pleased with rock-solid defence with Illan Meslier an Elland Road spectator
Leeds, at times, appeared to do everything but score.
They hit the crossbar, they shot when they should have passed, and only managed to get two of their 18 attempts on target. After squandering chance after chance at Fratton Park – Joel Piroe’s ‘unforgivable’ miss summed the afternoon up – this felt like another day in which a previously red-hot frontline was running cold.
Thankfully, a full 82 minutes after Cooper deflected Manor Solomon’s cross into his own net, Tanaka would stride onto the scene to curl beautifully past Jensen and into the top corner.
Farke was also keen to highlight Leeds’ defensive resolve at the other end.
Millwall did not manage a single shot on target. In fact, the most Illan Meslier had to do was to tip a misplaced corner around his own post late on.
“We spoke at half-time about it. We didn’t allow any chances but we didn’t have full control,” Farke adds. “[Millwall] are a brave side, they go for it, they show resilience. We spoke at half time about positional changes to get the game under control.
“I liked the game in the second half. We could have scored a few more but, overall, three points is what you want at this point of the season.”
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