'Heartbroken' Daniel Farke on Leeds United's display at Fulham: 'I have no critical words' — Yorkshire Post 13/9/25
By Stuart Rayner
Daniel Farke left Fulham feeling "heartbroken"
after his team were on the wrong side of a stoppage-time defeat.
Gabriel Gudmundsson's own goal was the difference as the
Cottagers claimed an undeserved 1-0 win four minutes into stoppage time.
Leeds' Sean Longstaff and Fulham's former Huddersfield Town
loanee Emile Smith-Rowe had both hit the woodwork before that, but the game
looked headed for a 0-0 draw until Gudmundsson's unfortunate intervention.
With Karl Darlow making two outstanding saves to deny Harry
Wilson and Kevin on his first Premier League appearance for nearly four years,
it was hard to agree with the Leeds manager that Fulham had not created
anything, but the visitors certainly created more, without making their
dominance tell in the opening 55 minutes.
"I'm heartbroken and I feel for the players," said
Farke.
"We expected a highly-motivated Fulham after 3
deadline-day signing.
"In a tight first half we were the better side.
“It was an excellent away performance.
"We expected a highly-motivated Fulham after three
deadline-day signings. They were desperate to get the first win (in this
season's Premier League) under the belt."
Farke went as far as to say he was pleased with how Leeds
played.
"I think we adapted perfectly to the situation,"
he said. "I think in the tight first half we were the better side, so we
didn't allow one chance. We were pretty close.
"I think we shot against the crossbar and some other
situations. On the counter-attack we looked sharp, and also in the beginning of
the second half.
"Fulham were a bit more under pressure to take more
risks. The last 15-20 minutes they had more possession and tried to put
pressure on us with some crosses and set-pieces.
"But we did not allow one real chance – perhaps
sometimes a strike out of 25 yards (Wilson's was a free-kick from outside the
area). But the feeling was that on the counter-attack we could perhaps even
claim all three points.
"There was a throw-in for us and the 94th minute they
changed their decision. A really strange situation.
"You just feel for the lads and the players. We would
have deserved to have the third clean sheet on our belt. We would have deserved
to have at least a fifth point under our belt.
"If you then concede such a heartbreaking goal, you
just have to feel for the lads. I'm pretty proud of our performance. I'm pretty
proud of what we did.
"I'm proud of the players' performance after not the
easiest couple of weeks with deadline day. Also many players were struggling
with little knocks and injuries.
"Overall it's heartbreaking for the players.
"I have no critical word, just compliments for this
performance. But sometimes you have to accept football is like this and can be
cruel. Sometimes you're on the lucky side. Today we're on the very, very
unlucky side."
Leeds also suffered an injury to substitute Daniel James,
not selected in the XI after playing for Wales at home to Canada on Tuesday.
"He was involved in the international game on
Tuesday," explained Farke. "It was a 90-minute (appearance). He had
just one training session with us.
"So we decided to have a fully-recovered Brenden
Aaronson, who has trained excellently in the last couple of weeks. He did the
hard work against, we know, a really good Fulham left side.
"Brenden played excellent and then the plan was in the
last 15 minutes to use a bit more rested Daniel James and his pace and quality
to make things happen.
"(James) was unlucky that he got a hit into his body
and couldn't go on and we were forced to substitute him off.
"We have to wait for the assessment but I hope it's
nothing major so that he's available also pretty soon.
