Daniel Farke reflected on a 2-1 victory for Leeds United against Manchester United.The Whites were winless and scoreless in their last four Premier League fixtures: drawing 0-0 against Brentford and Crystal Palace after losing 1-0 against Manchester City and Sunderland. But buoyed by their FA Cup quarter-final penalty shootout triumph over West Ham last weekend, they defeated the Red Devils in a topflight fixture at Old Trafford for the first time since 1981.
The Whites were aggressive and intense in their approach, storming to a 2-0 lead thanks to a brace from Noah Okafor. As Lisandro Martinez managed to tug at the hair of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, he was then given his marching orders in the second half, and Leeds should have earned the triumph a little more comfortably than they did. Manchester United rallied back, Casemiro crashed home another goal in the late stages of the contest, and the guests had to fight for all three points.
‘We are in the crunch time of the season’
Yet, Farke was proud of his players. Leeds are on 36 points in the Premier League, six clear of 18th placed Tottenham. Relegation remains possible, but the odds are stacked in their favour to survive.
"Tired. Relieved. Proud of the boys. Fantastic performance. We are in the crunch time of the season and it's important to keep your nerves and stick to your plan. I think the first half was fantastic, we should've been higher up than 2-0, we missed many, many chances. Good start to the second half.
“Sometimes red card can change something; I didn't have the feeling at all. We were a bit sleepy at one set piece. Of course, it's more or less still Man Utd's way, it's difficult to bring it over the line as a newly promoted side. I think it's the first in Premier League history, first win here for forty years. It's amazing, and of course a big step forward."
“I haven't watched [the red card] back. A hair pull and for that a red card, once VAR watched it and said 'okay' you have to break and the ref watches it, it's a red card. I haven't seen it. I was worried: we had good momentum and sometimes such a situation can change momentum. I would have preferred more or less than play 11 v 11 but it is how it is. But in the end, we won the game. I don't complain.
“I would say [the game management was] 95% really good. The situation with the goal, in overload you shouldn't concede, out of second phase on the set piece we are on underload and there wasn't enough awareness. In the final minutes we could have killed the game with a bit more possession.
"There were good periods, but it wasn't perfect. Overall, I'm pleased and all the lads were nervous. It wasn't the easiest week. We had players out, but I was happy we could find solutions. Joe Rodon and Anton Stach were out. Big compliment to the whole group. We weren't immaculate but overall good.
Farke's verdict on the red card and game management
"Very happy for the boys. Goals are important the momentum in the game. It's a sign why we should be in a better position performance wise. We could have been way more effective with our chances. On the other side is a side packed with top players, which can bring quality from the bench later in the game. If you don't bury the game, it's always something possible, especially for the home team.
'We have to stay humble'
“We have to stay humble. We are not perfect. We are not the finished, end product. We are on a good path, on the way to achieving something really positive this season."