Daniel Farke says Leeds deserved to beat Manchester United

Daniel Farke said Leeds United deserved all three points after their 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday. The Leeds head coach felt his side had done enough to win, but had not turned its dominance into victory.

The match figures supported his view: Leeds recorded 1.44 expected goals, put five shots on target and had 21 touches in the opposition penalty area. Farke nevertheless lamented his team’s lack of precision in decisive areas. “We were the team that dominated the most, but we failed to make the most of our superiority because of a lack of quality in the final third and around the penalty area,” he said.

Leeds equalised in the second half. Farke felt the team should have maintained its control after that, but said several efforts went over the crossbar. “Overall, we put in a good performance and should have won the match, but we have to keep working,” he added.

The coach also expressed his disappointment at taking only one point and said he did not feel Leeds deserved to be behind at half-time. He acknowledged the quality of the opposition, however: “after all, we are playing Manchester United.” Farke said being viewed as favourites was recognition of what his players had achieved over the previous month. Leeds wanted to show that those expectations were justified.

Leeds United sit seventh in the Premier League with 10 points after 7 matches. Their league record is 2 wins, 4 draws and 1 defeat, with 9 goals scored and 6 conceded. Across their last five league games, they have one win, three draws and one defeat.

The match took place at Elland Road. Before the game, Farke was moving closer to signing a new contract with Leeds following the team’s strong start to the season, while Michael Carrick was under increasing pressure amid Manchester United’s declining results. Farke concluded that Leeds’ recent performances had earned the team greater respect, while stressing the need to become more decisive and clinical.