Leeds United’s head coach, Daniel Farke, has praised his team’s spirit after they came from behind to beat Championship leaders Leicester City 3-1.
With the Foxes losing to Middlesbrough last weekend, Leeds, Ipswich Town, and Southampton have an opportunity to keep the pressure on the top.
When Wout Faes’ first-half goal at Elland Road remained the difference until the 80th minute on Friday night, Leicester appeared to be on their way to a 12-point lead.
Instead, Connor Roberts and Archie Gray scored twice in three minutes to put Leeds ahead, and Patrick Bamford came off the bench to complete a miracle triumph.
Leicester had reason to be upset after a Patson Daka goal was incorrectly disallowed in the second half, but they were unable to sustain the intensity that Leeds exhibited in the latter moments.
After the game, Farke praised the Yorkshire giants, who have now won nine consecutive Championship games.
The German told Sky Sports: “To be there with a ninth win in a row, unbeaten here at Elland Road (this season) – there are many record-breaking figures, but what matters most is the mood and spirit. It could be felt throughout the stadium as people celebrated.
“You could see how much it meant to everyone involved with this club after some extremely difficult years, many disappointments, and days of sorrow. To have such an era in which you feel everything is truly united here – players, staff, supporters, and the entire club.
“We offer such performances and results. It’s fantastic, and I’m pleased for our supporters. They can certainly enjoy their weekend well.”
Meanwhile, Maresca recognized that his team was punished for squandering a number of opportunities, but declined to comment on what could have been a game-winning second goal being disallowed.
He stated, “I can’t say anything [about the disallowed goal], but until we conceded in the 80th minute, we dominated and controlled the game.”
“We generated a lot of chances, and it all came down to the ones we didn’t take. When you concede a goal in the closing 10 minutes of a game in this stadium, it’s easy to dip a little or think they’re better than us.
“We feel bad because we dropped points, but I feel very proud because we came here with the personality we showed.”
Leeds, who are now six points behind Leicester in the table, face Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday, while Leicester face Bournemouth the day before.
