If any moment summed up Daniel Farke’s Leeds United right now, it occurred nine minutes into Saturday’s early Championship kick-off against Tony Mowbray’s West Brom outfit at Elland Road.
A theme of their play in recent times – especially during a run of five straight league wins while netting 18 times in the process – has been Leeds United sharing the goalscoring duties around.
A remarkable eight of their starting XI against West Bromwich Albion had found the net in that triumphant five-game run. Clearly, the freedom Daniel Farke affords not only to his attackers but almost every player on the pitch is having quite an impact.
Because, just like he did five days earlier at Sheffield United, it was Junior Firpo charging into the box to guide a clever header into the Baggies net following Dan James’ wicked assist.
As Manor Solomon endured a rare off-day, and with neither Brenden Aaronson nor Joel Piroe at their sharpest, it is always handy to have as many players capable of popping up with a goal as you possible.
West Brom boss praises Junior Firpo and Dan James’ Leeds United connection
Visiting boss Tony Mowbray will have been aware of Leeds’ penchant for loading the penalty area with even a few unfamiliar faces getting in on the act. Then again, stopping a run of such force and a cross of such pinpoint perfection is far easier said than done.
“To be honest with you, it was an amazing run from their full-back,” Mowbray begins. “He did it the other day against Sheffield United. How the left-back finds himself in the box…
“It was a great run and the ball [from James] was just about perfect.”
Few other teams in England’s second tier would permit their full-backs to make the sort of runs more usually associated with classic centre-forwards. This, clearly, is a Leeds side brimming with confidence right now.
Confidence which, admittedly, took a bit of a dent when West Brom worked their way back into the game and cancelled out that Firpo effort half an hour later.
Daniel Farke ‘not frustrated’ as Leeds drop points in title fight
In a week of fabulous headed goals involving Leeds United – Ao Tanaka scored a pretty nice one too in the Steel City – this time it was Darnell Furlong’s turn.
West Brom’s own goalscoring full-back looped the ball over a helpless Illan Meslier as Leeds’ five-game winning run ground to a halt.
Not that Farke was too dejected following the final whistle. Leeds are on their longest unbeaten run for 33 years. And, as long as that continues, automatic promotion will surely follow.
“Not frustrated. We want to win home games but sometimes you have to live with the draw,” Farke says, the balmy spring sunshine making a welcome return to West Yorkshire. “I was a bit nervous after many emotional games and quick turnarounds if we would be on it and we were.
“We score the first goal, the sun is shining, you think it might be an easier game but then we allow to enjoy ourselves a little too much. You could see the equaliser coming. Perhaps [we were] over-confident. We lost dominance of the game.
“It’s then difficult when you lose momentum to get it back [but] we played a good side today. In the end, i’s important we gained one point. Not overly happy, just a draw, but it could turn out to be a valuable draw. Few complaints today.”
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