Daniel Farke Commends ‘Relentless’ Leeds United for Performance That Was ‘Near-Perfect’ – Almost
While it took a while for the home side to fully dismantle the visitors’ defenses, only extending the initial advantage provided by Dan James in the 58th minute, there was no doubt that the final score accurately represented a match played in conditions far from ideal for quality football.
Following Jayden Bogle’s goal, further strikes came from Brenden Aaronson and Manor Solomon.
Farke described it as “A fabulous way to enter the festive season and a crucial win. An impressive scoreline, an impressive performance.” He continued, “Especially during such a hectic period and considering the stormy weather, it was challenging to deliver this level of performance, so I’m quite pleased with how things turned out.
“We could have added a few more goals in the first half and particularly in the second half, Largie Ramazani had two excellent opportunities to score more, but overall, it was essential for us to walk back into the dressing room with a clean slate – 4-0, three valuable points, and also a boost to our goal difference.
“I’m truly satisfied.”
The victory marked Leeds’ ninth consecutive win at home; however, despite their impressive streak, they remain in second place, trailing Sunderland, Burnley, and leaders Sheffield United by three points after 22 matches.
“This league is relentless; if you aspire to achieve success, you must possess that same quality,” said Farke. “So far, so good; we are maintaining an impressive points tally, but it’s not even half time yet, so we recognize the long journey ahead, and we need to remain grounded and humble if we wish to enjoy future celebrations.”
Despite the positivity, Farke identified areas that needed improvement, noting that while Oxford had very few chances, they were of considerable quality which they failed to capitalize on.
“Even on a day as favorable as this, there’s always room for enhancement,” Farke noted. “We forced passes into overly tight spaces and made some poor decisions.
“I’ve worked with (Przemyslaw) Placheta at Norwich; he is incredibly quick and effective on the counter-attack.
“Despite our lead, allowing them two counter-attacks was something we could manage better.
“In the initial minutes of the second half, we could have approached the game with a bit more aggression and awareness, but aside from that, our performance was outstanding.
“Our ability to create significant opportunities against a solid defense and find the net was quite remarkable.
“Four different goalscorers, numerous players contributing assists; overall, a very commendable win. Many praises to the lads today.”
Former Sheffield United and Scarborough center-back Craig Short, who is now managing Oxford with Gary Rowett only just appointed as coach on Friday, referred to Leeds as “the best (Championship team) I’ve seen this season, by far.”
The Whites conclude the calendar year with away fixtures against Stoke City and Derby County on December 26 and 29, respectively.
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