Leeds United, Daniel Farke and why winning the hard way is often the best way — YEP 19/2/25

By Stuart Rayner

FOR 99 minutes of football, Leeds United proved to Daniel Farke's critics why his style of football does not work. For one minute, it was vindicated.

But as Farke and others piled off the bench onto the pitch in celebration of Pascal Struijk's header in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage-time, as the players huddled in the centre circle at the final whistle, as Elland Road rocked to a raucous rendition of I Predict a Riot, no one was thinking about those first 99 minutes.

Being made to wait until the last minute of a game to win it is torture; coming out as victors is one of the best feelings the best sport in the world can give you.

Leeds beat title rivals Sunderland 2-1 to go back to the top of the Championship ahead of the trip to second-placed Sheffield United next Monday.

“Seven-nil, 4-0, everything's easy and relaxed but these type of wins are the best wins you can have in football,” grinned Farke.

Champions have a habit of winning this way.

Until Struijk headed in Joe Rothwell's cross, the Twittersphere was raging. There were isolated boos as the players dashed down the tunnel for half-time and what looked like a continuation of on-pitch hostilities. The old ground was not a happy place either.

Why had Farke gone for the more defensive Ilia Gruev over Rothwell in midfield when the league leaders were at home? Why were they persisting with him taking set pieces badly?

“I always back Joe Rothwell to be the best set-piece taker in our team... Joe Rothwell is a baller,” Farke declared afterwards. He sat him on the bench.

Where was Struijk, they demanded, even before his centre-back stand-in Ethan Ampadu was held off and rolled as Wilson Isidor pinged the opening goal in off a post after 32 minutes?

“Pascal Struijk was fit to start,” Farke confirmed.

Why was Leeds' passing football so lacking in urgency? And where, for goodness sake, were the shots on target? Despite dictating from start to finish, Leeds had four all night, and Struijk headed half of them in.

Why, when the Whites were labouring to break down Sunderland were there no substitutes? And why, when they did come – in the last 20 minutes, as usual – did Farke not bring on attackers?

“It was,” he admitted, “a bit against the tide.”

Eventually, we saw why.

Seven minutes after Rothwell and Struijk's arrival, the midfielder's free-kick was headed in by the defender to equalise.

Winger Largie Ramazani and striker Mateo Joseph were ready to come on, but Leeds had done it Farke's way first.

When you are top of the league, holding off chasers who had not lost at Elland Road since 2002, 1-1 is an okay result. It looked like one the crowd would have to settle for.

But the gradual wearing down of the opposition Farke believes in paid out again in the sixth added minute when Ramazani shanked a shot so horribly it returned it to corner-taker Rothwell, who crossed for Struijk to score.

“This season we have scored a lot of late goals,” said defender Joe Rodon. “Them ones are the best ones.”

Farke pointed out it was about more than just fitness.

“It's not like you always score in the 96th minute just because you are an unbelievably fit side,” he said.

“It's also the way you approach the game, that sometimes you can tire the opponent.

“It's not just that the body is ready, the head and the soul also have to be ready.”

If you have a plan, it is vital to stick to it, regardless of what others think of it.

“The boss just kept us all calm and we had a lot better control in the second half,” said Rodon.

“When we're constantly attacking it's important we keep our structure.”

Coming out the right end of wins like Monday's does wonders for team spirit.

“To ride the momentum we've been on in the last few weeks, to go 1-0 down and win the game is a big hurdle for us mentally,” argued Rodon.

The Black Cats are now eight points adrift of the top two after their eight-game unbeaten league run was halted at Elland Road.

Smugger Leeds managers of years gone by would have said “I told you so” but not Farke, self-aware enough to know that high-wire acts like that do not always end well.

“Who knows? We could easily say if Rothwell and Struijk had started perhaps the game would have already been won in the first half,” admitted Farke refusing the chance to pat himself on the back. “Let's praise the players!”

Maybe the critics are right, and Farke's approach is not the best way for Leeds, but it is a right way.

And if after 99 minutes of problems, the result on the pitch ain't one, then there are no problems.