Leeds United v Brentford - Premier League 2026/27
Daniel Farke, manager of Leeds United, reacts during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Brentford at Elland Road in Leeds, United Kingdom, on August 30, 2026. (Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In the end, Leeds United’s Carabao Cup run was a brief one. We were knocked out in the third round by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Those who made the trip down from West Yorkshire could never have imagined that they were about to see their side on the wrong end of a nine-goal thriller. Chelsea defeated Leeds 6-3 in the end.
Initially, Tarik Muharemovic’s header was all that separated the teams at half-time. It’s fair to say that at that point, Leeds had been by far and away the better side.
Brenden Aaronson doubled our lead early into the second half, and it looked as though we would be cruising into the next round. How wrong were we?
Referee admits mistake to Daniel Farke at full-time
Not long after going two goals up, Dan James was judged to have fouled Pep Chavarria in the box by referee Jarred Gillett, who awarded the hosts a penalty.
Cole Palmer converted from the spot to take full advantage of the lifeline they were given by the referee.
From there, chaos ensued. Palmer got himself on the scoresheet once again just two minutes after scoring his penalty. With 25 minutes to go, Chelsea were 4-2 up.
By this point, Daniel Farke had made some changes, and it was two of his substitutes who combined to get Leeds back into the game. Noah Okafor’s low ball into the box was swept home spectacularly by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
With the game at 4-3, Okafor was brought down just outside the box. At first glance, it looked like Okafor was in the box, but he wasn’t. Despite this, the referee didn’t give United a penalty or a free kick in what would’ve been a very dangerous position.
Adam Pope reported that Farke said the referee apologised to him for not giving the penalty claim on Okafor after giving a soft penalty in favour of Chelsea.
DF says referee apologised for not giving the penalty claim on Okafor after giving a soft pen in favour of Chelsea. #LUFC
— Adam Pope (@apopey) September 9, 2026
Notably, there is no VAR in the early rounds of the Carabao Cup, so if Gillett did give us a penalty, it wouldn’t have been overturned.
It’s the least that could’ve happened after Chelsea were given one of the softest penalties I’ve ever seen last night.
The referee cannot take the full blame for our defeat
Whilst Palmer’s penalty sparked Chelsea’s comeback, that’s not an excuse for us shipping six goals in the second half.
Many will point to the fact that Farke should’ve made changes earlier, and they’re right.
But the players too have to take some responsibility. Chelsea’s first four goals were scored in a 12-minute period during the second half. Under no circumstances should this ever happen.
Farke certainly has a right to be furious with the referee, as he was the one who changed the game. However, we should’ve adapted far better than we did.
Ultimately, we collapsed, with Palmer and Morgan Rogers running riot.