Daniel Farke refutes Leeds United automatic promotion suggestion and cites biggest issue at Luton Town — YEP 5/4/25

By Graham Smyth

Leeds saw their automatic promotion destiny fall out of their own hands at Luton.

Daniel Farke insists he is not nervous about Leeds United's promotion chances and has held up their 1-1 draw with second-bottom Luton Town as a good point.

Leeds have won just one of their last six games and the stalemate at Luton was their third draw in succession. As had been the case in their previous three away fixtures, Leeds conceded the first goal.

An attack broke down at the feet of Willy Gnonto, Ao Tanaka failed to make a challenge on halfway and Luton broke to score, an unmarked Isaiah Jones converting at the back post.

The visitors responded before the half hour mark, Daniel James curling in a fine strike after Luton half cleared a corner.

There were chances for either side to nick a win, most notably a back post opportunity for Manor Solomon who failed to hit the target, before it ended level.

Farke refuted suggestions that the result had slipped away from Leeds and that automatic promotion was now out of their hands.

Burnley moved top, at least temporarily, with a win over Coventry City and have a two-point lead over the Whites.

Sheffield United are currently in action against Oxford United and at the time of writing were 1-0 down, but a win would take them four clear of Leeds.

"I think just if Sheffield wins this afternoon," said Farke.

"Because they [Blades and Burnley still have to] play against each other it's still in our hands I think. We can't influence what happens on other pitches. You just have to concentrate on yourself and this is important. I would have preferred three points today, it would have made life easier but I have to judge what I see. I liked our spirit and togetherness. It's definitely one point gained. Never underestimate a point on the road against a side fighting with the knife between the teeth.

"It's always difficult of course, especially here away at Luton. It's always easier to go in the lead, the opponent has to open a bit more and we can use our strength in counters. Instead the other team can concentrate on being rock solid. I would prefer to be in the lead again at some point in away game to make our life a bit easier. You can have wishes and dreams but they don't all happen in the crunch time and for that you have to dig in and grind results out and that's what we did today."

Farke highlighted Luton's direct style and the lack of time the ball spends in play at Kenilworth Road among the difficulties Leeds faced in another early kick-off that failed to yield three points. The biggest issue he felt was twice giving the ball away in the one sequence before Luton broke to score their goal.

"That's when you play in the opponent's half and lose it unnecessarily, allow a counter, then win the ball back, underestimate the situation and then there's always an emergency case," he said.

"Joe Rodon has to move out, one centre back normally in the centre, Pascal perhaps overshifted, Junior saw it and adapted and shifted a bit much to the first post, they used it with a perfect cross to put it in. The biggest mistake was to lose the ball in the opponents' box and then again after winning it back. Sometimes a small detail makes a big difference and this detail was completely unnecessary."

The German was pleased with how Leeds bounced back and the way they dealt with Luton's main threats as the game went on.

"I liked the reaction of my lads, we stayed cool and equalised with a great finish from Dan James," he said.

"We handled all their physicality and long balls really, really well. Karl Darlow was there with a decent save but he should make this save. We didn't allow them anything apart from this. They don't take much risk and it's so difficult to create, we stayed patient, Patrick [Bamford] had two or three half chances, Isaac Schmidt was not far away [from a chance]. It was one of the toughest games in the run in, we have another in Middlesbrough.

“The first two away games in this week are very tough but you have to dig in and grind something out. My lessons I've learned, the first time I won this league there was an away draw at Wigan and everyone was down but in doing this we won the league in the end. It's definitely a good point for us."

Though the reaction of the club's fans to the result was not a positive one, Farke is adamant that he remains unruffled by the situation he and the Whites find themselves in with six games remaining.

"I'm not fearful or nervous," he said. "I know that this is a very emotional club. Why do you think it was so difficult in the last 25 years to get promoted to the Premier League?

“Just one promotion when supporters were not allowed to be in the stadium. If you allow them to feel sorry for themselves and see each point on the road as a mistake, a loss and you have to lose your confidence and apologise, this is why it's so hard to keep the nerves. Don't underestimate a point.

“I would prefer to be five points clear, to have won the last game, that Manor scores but sometimes you can't choose. This club has signed me to make sure you have to stay strong in these moments and don't be like a flag in the wind.

“I didn't expect a 46-game easy ride to win the title or finish in the top two. We had great periods, gained points, we find it a bit difficult at the moment because we concede a few too many goals so we needed to reduce the number of chances Today they had more or less just one and a half chances and if this is enough we have to make sure we reduce chances even more in the next game."