Leeds United's remarkable reward at Liverpool — Graham Smyth's 'bravery or foolishness' Verdict — YEP 2/1/26

By Graham Smyth

The Verdict on Leeds United’s goalless draw at Liverpool is in.

What Leeds United did against Liverpool at Anfield was a remarkable reward for decisions that can now be declared brave and not foolish.

Sometimes there is a razor thin line between bravery and foolishness.

Daniel Farke took a risk by making three changes more than the one that was forced upon him, because it could have disrupted the team's rhythm and brought all their December-built momentum to a juddering halt.

Even that solitary necessary change was a complicated one, because there was an option to deal with Joe Rodon's injury absence by reverting to a back four - the formation that Arne Slot felt his team really struggled with at Elland Road.

Farke opted instead to simply replace Rodon with Sebastiaan Bornauw, handing the big defender a full Premier League debut. At Anfield. Against the defending Premier League champions.

What raised eyebrows even higher was the decision to take Dominic Calvert-Lewin out of the team. The Premier League's most in-form English striker, in talismanic and prolific form, brimming with confidence and champing at the bit to be unleashed against his old enemy Liverpool, Calvert-Lewin had to watch from the bench for 70 minutes.

Lukas Nmecha took his place up top. But Farke went one further in attack, dropping Noah Okafor to the bench and playing Brenden Aaronson on the left.

To complicate things further, regular starter at right wing-back Jayden Bogle also came out, allowing James Justin to come in. And to complete the changes and render each area of the outfield set-up changed, Ilia Gruev was brought into the midfield.

It could not be said that Farke was changing a winning team, for they drew at Sunderland last time out, but he was replacing players who had been performing admirably and reliably with question marks. The response from the fanbase could be best summed up by the word 'uncertain' with the more hysterical sounding cries of 'throwing' the game.

Most deduced that Farke was saving legs for a potentially more winnable game at home to Manchester United on Sunday. All agreed that it was risky business and Farke was teeing himself up for criticism if the worst occurred.

Leeds made an encouraging start on both sides of the ball, though. It was the visitors who earned all the early set-pieces, Liverpool defending them comfortably enough bar a corner that Jaka Bijol won and headed harmlessly to Alisson in goal.

When the hosts were in possession Leeds were compact but coiled, ready to spring a counter if they could nick it. Gruev did, fed Nmecha and the Whites stormed forward for an attack that led to nothing but gave them breathing room. It would not be Gruev's last important intervention, far from it.

It was inevitable that with so little of the ball and against a side of such quality that Leeds would at least creak under pressure and that proved the case.

A careless header from Ethan Ampadu allowed Curtis Jones to put Hugo Ekitike in the area and though his shot was horribly struck it forced Lucas Perri into a save. The Brazilian failed to gather the ball, however and the danger remained alive until Leeds eventually cleared.

Ekitike had an even better chance shortly after, a ball over the top allowing him to run in behind Jaka Bijol who wrestled with the striker but couldn't halt him. It took a vital block from Justin to halt the move after Ekitike fed Florian Wirtz and although the Reds wanted a VAR intervention for Bijol's challenge, none came.

Liverpool stayed very much in charge but as the game reached the half hour mark it remained level. The visitors were meeting their hosts with just the right level of physicality, making contact without giving away soft free-kicks.

Justin in particular was providing a spectacularly solid presence as right wing-back, while on the other side Gudmundsson came under pressure from Jeremie Frimpong yet hung in there for the most part.

What Leeds were unable to do was turn their little moments of possession or territory into big moments in the game. Taking the wrong option, failing to find the best pass or simply spurning an unexpected chance. Ampadu was guilty of that when Alisson, under Brenden Aaronson's pressure, passed the ball straight to the Leeds captain and had to scramble to get across his goal and gather the resulting shot.

There was frustration for both sides in a first half that never really sparkled. When Liverpool did get into a position to hurt Leeds, they were foiled or foiled themselves. Justin again bailed out his centre-backs with a perfectly-timed challenge on Wirtz on the edge and the wildly expensive attacker sliced a back shot post wildly into the stand behind the goal.

At the other end, Anton Stach should have been lining up a free-kick having been fouled right on the edge of the box only for referee Chris Kavanagh to stop play. The referee wanted Dominik Szoboszlai to receive treatment for a possible head injury from the lightest brush of Stach's hand and promptly handed possession to Liverpool for the restart.

Liverpool had plenty of intent about their early second half play, piling on pressure without making Perri work too hard. Gruev busying himself in the middle helped break down a number of attacks, though the ball continued to be kept almost exclusively in the Leeds half of the pitch.

Even when Szoboszlai got into shooting range outside the area, his effort was not enough to unduly trouble Perri, though Kavanagh's decision as the ball came out of the box troubled Leeds greatly. Ampadu caught the ball with his arm, high up his arm around his sleeve.

The free-kick was awarded in a dangerous position but it was the yellow card that was most costly, ruling the Whites captain out of Sunday's game against Manchester United.

With 20 minutes remaining Farke turned to his bench, sending Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor on in place of Nmecha and Aaronson. The change bought Leeds some much needed time in the opposition half, almost immediately.

Just the presence of Calvert-Lewin and his ability to get up and stay up in the air unsettled Ibrahima Konate, leading to a long throw and then a corner for the Whites. Leeds' number nine then thought he'd given his side a winner when he turned the ball home after Gudmundsson's cross was touched on by Sebastiaan Bornauw, but the flag went up.

The left flank suddenly looked more dangerous for Leeds and when Okafor got the best of Frimpong Gruev took over, skipping by a challenge and sending the ball into the six-yard box. Okafor then got in behind and pulled the ball back for Stach who couldn't find a winner from either of his shooting opportunities.

For all Liverpool's huffing and puffing in time added on, they failed to carve Leeds open or create a better chance than the one Stach missed.

There were some tired legs on display from the visitors yet they never stopped. Justin's incredible performance went right to the end, moving inside to centre-back as Bornauw made way with cramp and looking every bit as dependable.

The full-time whistle and the result it signalled handed Farke full justification for his team selection and tactics. Brave, not foolish. It handed his players further cause for belief and kept the unbeaten run going. And it plumped up the cushion to the drop zone to seven points. Leeds are doing well. Remarkably well.