Leeds Disaster at the Etihad: Farke’s Big Gamble Explodes as One Star Scores Shocking 3/10

Leeds United played a wild and emotional game at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, showing both their worst and their best in a 3-2 defeat to Manchester City.

It was truly a match of two halves. Leeds were poor and nervous early on, going 2-0 down, but then came out firing in the second half and almost shocked the champions.

Sadly for Daniel Farke, a 91st-minute winner from Phil Foden crushed the comeback and left the Whites with nothing to show for their hard work.

The big story from this match was simple, Leeds showed they still care, they still fight, and they still believe in their manager.

But the mistakes, the shaky moments, and the late collapse also show why pressure on Farke continues to grow.

Slow Start Hurts Leeds as Farke’s Big Experiment Fails

Farke made a bold call before the match. Fans had been asking for it for weeks to see Dan James and Willy Gnonto start together.

So the German boss finally listened and put them both in the line-up. But the plan did not work at all.

City scored inside the first minute, with Phil Foden slotting home while Leeds were still half asleep.

Then, after 25 minutes, City struck again, and Leeds looked lost. Both James and Gnonto struggled to get involved and were taken off at half-time. The experiment that fans wanted ended up hurting the team instead.

Leeds also looked unsure in defence. Pascal Struijk, who received a very low rating for his performance, looked slow and unfocused early on.

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He even sliced a clearance right across his own goal, nearly gifting City another. Only Joe Rodon and Jayden Bogle looked steady during those difficult first 45 minutes.

City were all over Leeds, and at 2-0 down, the game looked dead. But Leeds have a habit of causing chaos, and they did it again.

Leeds Come Out Fighting and Shock the Champions

The second half was like watching a totally different team.

Farke made big changes, putting on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jaka Bijol, and Leeds suddenly looked sharp, hungry and brave.

Calvert-Lewin made an immediate impact. Just four minutes after coming on, he smashed the ball into the net to make it 2-1.

The away fans went wild. The energy changed completely. Suddenly, the city looked nervous.

Then came the equaliser. Calvert-Lewin again caused trouble, winning a penalty after a clever run. Lukas Nmecha, who has now scored three goals in his last three Premier League games, followed up the rebound to make it 2-2 after 68 minutes.

Leeds were level, Leeds were alive. The bench was jumping. The comeback was real.

Players like Ampadu, Gruev, Ao Tanaka and Bogle all raised their levels in the second half.

They tackled harder, passed quicker and showed real fight. You could see the team spirit that Farke has tried so hard to protect.

But in the Premier League, especially at the Etihad, one small mistake can kill you.

Late Heartbreak Leaves Farke Under More Pressure

Just when Leeds thought they had earned a massive point, Phil Foden popped up again in the 91st minute.

Leeds failed to clear their lines properly, and the England star punished them. It was a punch to the stomach.

All the hard work, all the energy, all the hope gone in one moment.

The defeat will hurt. But there were positives too, Calvert-Lewin looked sharp, Nmecha continued his scoring run, and the team showed they are still fully behind the manager.

But the poor first half cannot be ignored, and the defensive mistakes keep haunting Leeds every week.

With a tough game against Chelsea coming up, the big question now is simple. Can Farke turn spirit and effort into actual points? Or will nights like this keep dragging Leeds towards danger?

One thing is sure, the fight is there. The belief is there. However, until Leeds addresses the basics, heartbreak like this will continue to happen.

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