Daniel Farke said it was “a great night for everyone involved with Leeds United” after his side beat Chelsea 3-1 at Elland Road to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone.
Daniel Farke celebrated a crucial 3-1 victory over Chelsea at Elland Road, calling it “a great night for everyone involved with Leeds United” as his side climbed out of the Premier League relegation zone, according to a report from the PA News Agency.
The win, which halted a four-game losing run, saw Slovenia defender Jaka Bijol score with a “thumping header” and Ao Tanaka add a second with a “superb 25-yard effort” before the interval.
While Chelsea substitute Pedro Neto pulled one back early in the second half, Dominic Calvert-Lewin restored Leeds’ two-goal advantage in what was described as one of their “best displays of the season.”
Farke praised his players, saying: “It felt like it was a long time coming, but the players deserve to have a night like this because I can’t really remember one poor home performance in the last 15 months.” He added:
“We wanted to be back in the big time, to play against the best sides in the world, and to have Elland Road rocking at its best, in the unbelievable atmosphere.”
The defeat saw Chelsea lose ground at the top, slipping to fourth and nine points adrift of Arsenal.
Head coach Enzo Maresca was critical of his side, admitting: “I think they were better than us in all aspects, they deserved to win the game.”
Maresca also revealed he withdrew teenage international Estevao at halftime after the player received a yellow card, explaining, “I think the feeling with Estevao was, you know, a little bit ‘welcome to Leeds’.”
He concluded by urging his team to “try to reset, because in 48 hours we have one more game.”