LEEDS UNITED NEWS:Leeds United fc announce the retirement of Daniel Farke…
In the Championship’s early kick-off between two promotion contenders, it was heartbreak for Leeds, whose manager Daniel Farke believes were not ‘clinical enough’, the reason for their defeat. Luca Koleosho’s solo strike in the 18th minute proved decisive as Scott Parker’s side battled for a hard-fought victory over the Yorkshire outfit.
Parker made two changes to his Burnley side, with Zian Flemming making his debut in place of Lyle Foster and Bashir Humphreys stepping in for Connor Roberts to make his league debut. Leeds, meanwhile, started brightly and nearly opened the scoring in the first minute when Mateo Joseph intercepted a loose pass and raced through on goal, only to fire wide.
Burnley responded quickly with Flemming picking out Hannibal inside the box, but the midfielder’s header drifted just wide. The home side continued to press, and their first shot on target came from Gruev, who lifted an effort towards Burnley keeper James Trafford, though it posed little threat.
The deadlock was broken in the 18th minute when Koleosho stole the ball from Solomon deep in his own half and launched a stunning 60-yard solo run before slotting the ball coolly past Illan Meslier. Leeds looked to respond, with Wilfried Gnonto slipping through on goal, but Trafford made a crucial save to preserve Burnley’s lead.
Burnley, buoyed by the goal, nearly doubled their advantage as former Leeds loanee Jaidon Anthony saw his shot blocked before Joe Worrall’s header from the resulting corner drifted wide. Despite Leeds pushing for an equaliser, it was the Clarets who went into half-time with a 1-0 lead after a solid defensive performance.
The second half began in similar fashion, with Leeds on the front foot. Joseph came close to leveling the score with a curling shot, only for Trafford to deny him once again. As Burnley sought to protect their lead, Parker made a tactical change, bringing on Jeremy Sarmiento for the goalscorer Koleosho and later introducing Josh Cullen for Hannibal in midfield.
Leeds threw everything forward in the closing stages, but Burnley held firm. Humphreys received a second yellow card in stoppage time, but it was too late for Leeds to take advantage. The final whistle confirmed Burnley’s victory, as they returned to Lancashire with all three points.
“We have to be self-critical,” Daniel Farke told club channels after the game. “The decisive moments of the game were not effective enough, because obviously we should have scored already after two minutes.
“We had much more of these situations and better chances, even better chances, easier chances to score. We didn’t take them, so this is where we have to be self-critical in the decisive moments of the game.
“They [Burnley] were there with the 85-yards counter-attack, two against one, then it’s a really effective finish, a good finish in the bottom corner. We didn’t turn this game on our side to score the goals and also we are disappointed to concede out of such a situation.
“We are not happy with our effectiveness today and that’s the reason why we lost this game.”
Leeds now has a chance to get their promotion pushed up and running with back-to-back matches against early strugglers Cardiff and Coventry, starting with the Bluebirds, bottom of the division, a week today.
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