Three decisions that prove Daniel Farke can save his job at Leeds United despite loss vs Man City
Leeds United owners might hold fire on sacking Daniel Farke after Leeds United put in an incredible fight against Man City.
Phil Foden opened the scoring in the first minute, firing past a helpless Lucas Perri, who was then at fault as Josko Gvardiol doubled the home side’s lead after 25 minutes on Saturday, 29 November.
Pep Guardiola would have expected his team to kick on in the second half, but after Man City lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, it was clear that confidence was at an all-time low.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin took advantage of Matheus Nunes’ mistake to grab one back for the visitors, with Lukas Nmecha then scoring from the spot after their first goalscorer was brought down in the box.
Sadly, the Whites had all three points stolen in added time, with Farke fighting for his job at Elland Road, as Foden powered home his second goal of the afternoon.
While it was yet another defeat, leaving Leeds in 19th in the Premier League, they showed fight.
Daniel Farke puts his trust in Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Fans have not been convinced by Calvert-Lewin in the slightest since his arrival on a free transfer, but he showed his class and strengths as he caused chaos for City in the second half.
As well as scoring and winning a penalty, the former Everton man overpowered Guardiola’s defenders, racing in behind their high line, and absolutely deserved to be on the winning side.
| Dominic Calvert-Lewin vs Man City | Stats [FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 45 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Penalties won | 1 |
| Successful dribbles | 100% (1/1) |
| Ground duels won | 80% (4/5) |
| Fouls won | 3 |
Farke is often criticised for his lack of substitutions, or at least making them at the right time, but he got in early when bringing the striker on at half-time.
Willy Gnonto subbed at half-time after being thrown into the deep end
The manager clearly recognised his mistake by starting Willy Gnonto, who, by all measures, was almost non-existent in the first half, and he addressed that issue during the half-time break.
Once again, he battled against the criticism over his use of substitutions, showing that he does have what it takes to adapt to different situations in the Premier League.
Eyebrows were raised to see the young winger given the nod at the Etihad, especially given he had only started a handful of games before, but Farke was not too proud to admit to his mistake.
Double striker tactic shows incredible braveness away from Elland Road
When the substitutions were being made, most of the travelling supporters would have expected some like-for-like replacements, and for the most part, that is what the German did.
However, instead of taking Nmecha off for Calvert-Lewin, he played them up front together, and that partnership caused absolute chaos for Guardiola’s defence.
It so nearly worked out for the Whites, and had Foden not scored in added time, supporters would have certainly cut the manager some slack after taking a point from one of the title contenders.