Leeds United lessons learned vs Liverpool with Daniel Farke masterstroke and January transfer priority change — YEP 7/12/25
By Kyle Newbould
Lessons learned from another brilliant night at Elland Road
as Leeds United draw 3-3 against Liverpool.
Leeds United capped off a brilliant week in dramatic fashion
after twice coming from behind to draw 3-3 at home to Liverpool on Saturday.
Goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Anton Stach and a 96th-minute Ao Tanaka
effort earned Daniel Farke’s side another big point in front of their own
supporters.
Like Manchester City a week ago, Leeds fought back from 2-0
down to draw level at 2-2 before then conceding a third, albeit this time they
had another response. The point lifts Farke’s side up to 16th and below are the
YEP’s key lessons learned from another great night under the lights in West
Yorkshire.
January transfer priorities have changed
Lukas Nmecha’s midweek hamstring injury saw Noah Okafor
start but he failed to offer the same level of physical presence, allowing the
Liverpool defenders to focus on Calvert-Lewin and settle into the game between
them. Nmecha is expected to return at Brentford but his muscle injury
highlights the fact a huge load had been placed on two strikers who are
notoriously injury prone.
Leeds had long been expected to refocus their efforts on
signing a creative right-winger/No.10 come January but wingers are now not
starting. If the Whites want to make 3-5-2 their natural formation then they
need more than two physical No.9s, perhaps making the addition of another big
frontman their new priority once the mid-season transfer window opens.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s impressive goalscoring run
Calvert-Lewin might stake a claim for the least
aesthetically pleasing three-game goalscoring run in history but he will not
care one bit. The former Everton slammed home a penalty to halve the two-goal
lead of his one-time Merseyside rivals on Saturday, adding to a one-yard tap-in
against Chelsea and a simple finish against Manchester City. Not since February
2021 has Calvert-Lewin scored in three consecutive Premier League games - a run
which started with a winner against Leeds at Elland Road - and in that campaign
he netted a career-best total of 16 times. He’s now on for four the season and
while matching that previous total is unlikely, he and Farke will be very
pleased with how things have gone in recent weeks.
Leeds United’s second-half weak point
After defending well for the opening 45 minutes, Farke’s
half-time message will no doubt have been to keep it tight early doors and so
he’d have been fuming to see Hugo Ekitike put his side 2-0 up within five
minutes of the restart. The first came from Joe Rodon’s loose pass while number
two came after Gabriel Gudmundsson was dispossessed in a dangerous area.
In the last four games, Leeds have now conceded four goals
within the first five minutes of kicking off for the second half and the period
between minutes 46 and 60 is their weakest, with two scored and seven let in.
That is not a fatigue issue, coming after a quarter-hour break, but one of not
being switched on in key moments. Fortunately, they were able to pull it back
on Saturday.
Daniel Farke’s substitution masterstroke
Farke has regularly been criticised for his substitutions -
or lack of - at Leeds but he could not have got it more right on Saturday. At
2-0 down on 65 minutes, he introduced Willy Gnonto, Brenden Aaronson and
Tanaka, with Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville suggesting the changes were
to rest key players with the contest all but over. He could not have been more
wrong.
Gnonto injected pace into the Leeds attack and won a penalty
from Ibrahima Konate’s clumsy challenge which Calvert-Lewin converted, Aaronson
looked equally sharp and set up Stach while Tanaka got the late equaliser. All
three introductions contributed to each and every goal and for that, Farke
deserved huge credit.
