Leeds United boss Daniel Farke was delighted with every aspect of his side’s performance as they boosted their survival hopes with a shock 3-1 win over Chelsea.
In front of a boisterous home crowd at Elland Road, Farke’s men made a fast start through Jaka Bijol before completing one of their best halves of the season by doubling their lead when Ao Tanaka added another and became the first Asian player to score for the Whites in the top flight.
Despite Pedro Neto pulling a goal back for a failing Chelsea team, a mistake from Tosin Adarabioyo allowed striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to take the points for Leeds and end a four-match losing run.
Farke, who has been under some pressure, could not hide his joy after seeing his team move three points clear of the bottom three.
He told BBC Sport: “Before nights like this we were so desperate to get the club back to the top level.
“Elland Road was back at its best.
“A great change from my boys, a great performance against one of the best teams in the world.
“The key today was to get back to our best behavior in defense. We haven’t given much away in our last games.”
“For us it was crucial to reduce Chelsea to a minimum, they didn’t have one real chance in the first half.”
Watching the people get lair! pic.twitter.com/bLEcg5ImUP
— Leeds United (@LUFC) December 3, 2025
Leeds had just 28.6% possession, their lowest total in a win since beating Reading in December 2016, but Farke believes a more pragmatic style of play proved crucial in limiting the threat from Enzo Maresca’s men.
He said: “Of course they had more possession, I would have liked a bit more control of the game, but overall [it was] a deserved victory.
“As a promoted team you have to concentrate on taking away the opponent’s strength, mirroring the opponent and playing more pragmatically.
“I want to play more directly as we are used to, but when you get promoted you have to be flexible and adapt to the opponent.
“I am not married to a formation, but married to principles.”
Farke switched to a back three, with Leeds generating 2.82 expected goals and having 17 shots, although Calvert-Lewin’s effort alone accounted for a whopping 0.99 xG.
He now hopes that his team can remain flexible on the field in the coming matches, starting with the visit of reigning champions Liverpool on Saturday.
“I want to see the same principles on the field,” he said. “It is important for the future that we are unpredictable and adapt to different scenarios.”
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