Leeds United conceded two set-piece goals to AFC Bournemouth this weekend, and Graham Smyth noticed something about one of them in particular.
The Antoine Semenyo free-kick and Eli Junior Kroupi’s stoppage time equaliser both came from avoidable situations, both in terms of Leeds United giving away the initial foul and in defending the resulting free-kick.
Karl Darlow’s wall and draught excluder did not do the job, while Anton Stach gave away the free-kick softly on Ryan Christie in the build-up. Ao Tanaka, Pascal Struijk, Ethan Ampadu, and Jayden Bogle didn’t cover themselves in glory in the equaliser, either.
It’s the third and fourth goals Leeds have conceded from set-pieces already, with Liverpool the only team to match that and West Ham United the only side to exceed it (seven). Despite the height added into the team, it’s a concern.
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Graham Smyth spots Sean Longstaff moment before Anton Stach’s foul against Bournemouth
Even with the free-kicks conceded, Leeds will be frustrated not to have beaten Bournemouth outside of that. The Whites had more xG and more shots, with the better of the chances overall in the game.
Some of the Leeds players shone against Bournemouth but soft and avoidable goals could be their undoing and Daniel Farke has said where Leeds must improve after Bournemouth already.
However, Graham Smyth believes Bournemouth were fortunate with one of the set-pieces they were handed, spotting why it should not have been awarded prior to the foul.
Dan Moylan of The Square Ball said: “But to have gone one down at Wolves and gone to win that and to have turned it around today, barring that last attack, we would have done the same again today.
“So there is genuinely lots to be positive about, albeit it’s always disappointing to drop points.”
Smyth responded: “There’s an element of bad luck as well, though. Because, in the build-up to the first goal, I thought Sean Longstaff was shoved in the back with a two-hander and it’s allowed to go on.
“The ball gets headed around a bit and then Stach does go in on the back of Christie. Daniel Farke’s called it the softest free kick that will be given all weekend. He felt it just wasn’t a free-kick in the Prem.
“I was obviously in the West stand. The play was Christie was kind of coming towards us in that direction. I thought Stach went into his back. I guess, if he was looking right through Christie’s body, then I guess he would see the ball.
“But I just don’t think you can give them the opportunity to go down there. That’s such a terrible place to give one away.
“There were moments where you just turn your back, you wait for the contact, you go down like a prime Luke Ayling and you get the free-kick.”
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Daniel Farke’s view of the free-kick in Leeds 2-2 Bournemouth
Speaking post-match via The Yorkshire Evening Post, Farke believed it was not a foul anyway — as Smyth alludes to. He said: I think we would have deserved to not have the free-kick given, probably the softest free-kick given this weekend.
“It’s not a foul for me at Premier League level. We probably would have won without this free-kick conceded. Sometimes the feeling is they would have deserved a bit more luck.
“If they keep going like this that when it really counts to have the results to stay in this league we deserve to get a bit of luck at some moments. I’m pretty happy so far with the season.”
Arguably, the Tanaka foul in the 93rd minute was also fairly soft, too. That has to be incredibly frustrating for Farke and co. given that the Premier League punishes situations like these regularly.
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