Leeds United accusation Farke will never face as injustice — Graham Smyth's Middlesbrough Verdict — YEP 9/4/25

By Graham Smyth

Leeds United overcame their recent wobble by beating Middlesbrough at the Riverside and now sit top of the Championship again

Forty-three days ago the YEP declared that if Leeds United were not champions elect then they were doing the damnedest impression. That was how it felt after those wins against Sunderland and Sheffield United. So good had they been for so long that there was an undeniable inevitability around them.

That slowly but surely gave way, however, to the inevitability of the Championship and a wobble that seems traditional for this club. Sub-par performances and a run of one win in six allowed the Blades and Clarets to catch up and rearrange the order at the top of the table. Leeds dropped to third after the 1-1 draw at Luton Town and there was anger behind the goal when Daniel Farke and his men approached at full-time.

After a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough sent them back to the top of the table on Tuesday night, the pervading feeling was relief. There was an appropriate level of joy in the away end at full-time, glee in cheers for ex-Boro man Patrick Bamford that countered home fans' boos and unity as Farke did his customary post-win wave. But no one will be getting carried away again because just as nothing was won in February, nothing is won yet.

Whatever your take on Farke, his football or his future, no one can accuse him of losing sight of how difficult it was always going to be to get out of the Championship this season, even when Burnley were seven points behind. His message never changed, even as the tide began to. "This league is relentless," is one of his favourite sayings. "I trust my lads," is another. And that message took on extra significance in the dressing room this week because the rest of the world was, with good enough reason, starting to doubt. Had doubt crept into the minds of Farke's players then they would surely not have gone to in-form Boro and won.

As they got off the coach at the Riverside they did not resemble warriors approaching a battlefield, nor did they appear to share the nerves of their fanbase. The body language of most who alighted was very much on the relaxed side. During the warm-up they ramped things up. High fives, hugs, motivational barking from captain Ethan Ampadu. Jayden Bogle bounced into the final sprints in front of the away fans. By the time they emerged for kick-off it was game faces. And barely two minutes into the game it was game on.

Leeds United’s aggressive start reaps rewards

Leeds went after the hosts with aggression, won the ball and then used it perfectly. Junior Firpo played in Manor Solomon, he crossed for his fellow winger and Dan James bundled home the opener. A little man for big moments, this one was crucial because conceding first in away games had become a real issue.

As the goal showcased, there was going to be space in which to play and having been restricted by Saturday's pitch, its size and Luton's style of play, Leeds visibly relished the chance to pass the ball around and stretch their legs. They found ways through Boro, down the middle and round the outside and James had two further attempts to add to his tally in the opening few minutes - one saved, one over the top. There were half chances too and although Boro enjoyed plenty of the ball, they were not allowed to create anything from it.

But sustaining the start began to prove difficult for Leeds, not so much because of what Boro were doing but because of largely unforced errors and poor passes. Karl Darlow passed one straight out of play. Solomon fizzed one into his own area and had to be bailed out. Ao Tanaka played another out for an attacking throw. Encouraged and playing higher up the pitch, Boro won a corner and scored a goal, or thought they did. Joel Piroe's swing-and-a-miss in his own box was punished by Tommy Conway, only for the flag to correctly go up.

Another Leeds goal disallowed

Leeds got back to what they did so well for so long this season before this recent wobble, dominating the ball and making good decisions. If the forward ball was there, they played it. If not, they kept it and took the sting out of the home side. Once control was established they went for the kill. A perfect Solomon cross was crashed in at the back post by Tanaka. Up went the flag again, wrongly this time. The man holding the flag aloft had done so before to rule out perfectly good Leeds goals on two prior occasions this season and that showed in Farke's reaction.

The manager's rage had no time to subside before Boro created their best chance to level, a cross from the left finding Kelechi Iheanacho all alone on the edge of the box and the officials were only spared a total combustion in the technical area by the striker's wildly wayward finish.

A 1-0 half-time lead was well-deserved but it was going to take a big second half effort to ensure it was enough. Before the inevitable Boro onslaught came two chances for Leeds to pull away, Piroe seeing his close-range shot saved after good work from James, who then took a Bogle pass beautifully and slid it through the area too far ahead of Solomon.

Back came Middlesbrough, targeting the Leeds full-backs and getting shots off. Their lack of composure in the final act and Darlow's reaction save from Delano Burgzorg kept it 1-0 as Leeds rocked on their heels and Joe Rodon screamed at those further up the pitch to do more.

Farke makes the changes and assistant referee gets it wrong again

Farke sensed the need for change and replaced his left flank with Sam Byram and Willy Gnonto, his striker with Patrick Bamford and an injured James with Isaac Schmidt. The latter three combined almost immediately to put the ball in the net. Schmidt led a counter attack, Gnonto raced onto his pass and slipped it to Bamford and he slid past Mark Travers. Once again the flag went up. Once again it was a wrong decision.

Add injustice to injury - no James, no Rothwell, no Struijk - and the daunting task of seeing this one out against an insistent home side might have fallen victim to Leeds' recent wobble. But for all the shots that whistled wide or woefully over Darlow's woodwork, Leeds were able to dig in and dig in well. Bamford's nous and desire to win the ball and free-kicks was priceless in the final seconds before the final whistle sent a tearful Tanaka to his knees

A win by any means necessary was what was needed, regardless of what transpired elsewhere in the Championship on Tuesday night. It was arguably the most vital win of the season so far. But it was just a win. Now onto the next.