Daniel Farke saw two sides to his Leeds team in a pulsating 3-2 win over 10-man Middlesbrough at Elland Road which keeps them firmly in the Championship’s automatic promotion hunt.
Leeds attacked at pace in a frantic first half which saw all five goals scored, but Farke was just as pleased with the way they ground out the victory in the second period.
Farke admitted: “As a manager I liked the second half where we didn’t make mistakes. It was good game management.
“I can see why we are driven by our emotions and sometimes play the risky pass when we should take another option.”
Farke was delighted with his side’s showing against a team he rates as genuine play-off contenders.
He said: “I expected a great game against a tough side, and I judge them as one of our main competitors for the top six.
“It was important to be over-aggressive and fully committed (in the first half) against Middlesbrough, otherwise you are punished.
“The goals were a sign of how desperate we were and how we wanted to win.
“When you give moments away against a side like Middlesbrough, they will punish mistakes. Their first goal we opened up, and the second goal we were not fully switched on.
“Every fan who enjoys football must have enjoyed this game.”
Middlesbrough claimed an early lead as Emmanuel Latte Lath fired home at the near post, cutting in from the left after being set up by Alex Bangura.
Leeds hit back with two quickfire headers from Dan James and Crysencio Summerville as the visitors paid the price for being beaten in the air by two of the home side’s smallest players.
James got on the end of Sam Byram’s deep cross despite the attentions of two defenders and Summerville finished a cross from Archie Gray at the opposite post.
Middlesbrough lost experienced defender Paddy McNair to injury just after the half hour and his replacement, Matt Clarke, gave away the penalty from which Leeds scored their third.
Clarke used his arm to trip striker Georginio Rutter and Joel Piroe scored from the spot.
Latte Lath reduced the arrears with a header from Dan Barlaser’s corner late in the first half but neither side were able to find the target after the break.
Boro goalkeeper Seny Dieng denied Patrick Bamford and Piroe with a late double save and Boro’s Sammy Silvera hit a post as the visitors played the final 30 minutes with 10 men following Anfernee Dijksteel’s second yellow card.
A disappointed Michael Carrick admitted his side could have got a point from the game had they taken their chances.
He said: “Disappointed is my overriding feeling. Not with the boys and their performance but with the result.
“We were up against it. We had issues that we need to fix a bit but in general there were loads of good things from it and we let it slip and should have got something from the game.
“We came here and played one of the top teams in the league and gave as good as we got. They look dangerous and can score goals.
“It’s something we have done pretty well lately – defend our goal. We need to do something about it (conceding away from home) to be where we want to be at the end of the season.
“We picked up a couple of setbacks and we had big moments in the game, but we were right in there and we should have got more from the game.”
Carrick admitted allowing Leeds chances in a full Elland Road made it harder for his side.
“In a stadium like this and a team like this they will have moments. In games like this that split second of thinking can be the difference,” he said.
“We were playing against a good team, and you’ve got to respect what they can do.”
Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters
Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday.
After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight.
Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.
In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal.
Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out.
However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining.
Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena.
The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.
Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range.
Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt.
There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner.
Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition.
Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City
Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.
The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.
There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.
Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.
“Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
“That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
“Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.
“Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.
That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.
He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.
Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League
Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.
Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.
Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.
Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.
The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick.
That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.
In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.
Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.
Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.
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