Leeds boss Daniel Farke admitted he made a mistake by not selecting Ilia Gruev at QPR, where the Sky Bet Championship leaders came from back two down to secure a 2-2 draw.
Farke considered starting with the defensive midfielder but instead opted for a more attacking approach.
It backfired as goals from Koki Saito and Steve Cook put Rangers, who had lost their previous four matches, into a surprise lead.
Morgan Fox’s own goal gave the visitors a much-needed boost before the interval and Jayden Bogle equalised soon after the restart.
QPR ended the match with 10 men after Saito was sent off in stoppage time for a studs-up challenge on Dan James.
Farke said: “I’m a bit unhappy with myself because I thought, until the early hours in the morning, to bring Ilia Gruev in.
“Whenever I’ve brought him in in our away games our defensive awareness and sharpness is always a bit more on-it.
“I was thinking about Ilia quite a lot because he gives us this defensive awareness. But I was a bit too greedy and wanted to dominate the game.
“This was the problem in the first 25 or 30 minutes. The goals were too cheap. And then when you’re 2-0 down you don’t need to bring on more defensive awareness, you need to take some risks.
“Although I was tempted to bring Ilia in, I didn’t do this.”
Farke did, however, make an excellent judgement call when he made a half-time substitution, bringing on Willy Gnonto in place of Brenden Aaronson, who gave the ball away in the build-up to QPR’s first goal.
Gnonto, usually a winger, was deployed in a central position and had a big impact, helping to set up the equaliser.
“I was convinced he would make an impact,” said Farke.
“If I’m really honest and tell you a secret, I was also thinking about him in this (central) position from the beginning.
“If I had brought Ilia in, I think I would have opted also to play Willy from the start. But I opted for two number 10s and thought we couldn’t afford to lose the running and relentless work of Brenden Aaronson.
“I wouldn’t have signed for a draw before the game, because we always play to win, but of course during this period of the season, when you’re playing your third game in six days and you’re 2-0 down on the road, then to go away with one point, it’s important.
“I don’t want to be too greedy. We wanted to win but, after the story of this game, it’s a good point on the road. We take it and it brings us one point closer to where we want to finish.”
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes was proud of his team’s efforts but acknowledged that conceding a goal before half-time was a big blow.
“In the last couple of performances we lacked a bit of urgency but today we showed that from the very beginning,” Cifuentes said.
“I’m very proud of the way we started the game against a fantastic side – in my opinion the best team in the league.
“To be 2-0 up, it was a pity to concede with perhaps the only chance they had in the first half, because we knew that to go to half-time with the advantage of two goals could be a game changer.
“But when you play against quality teams they don’t need much to score goals. That was the reality. We knew it was very important to keep that lead.
“I cannot be happy after leading 2-0 and then conceding two goals and it’s just a draw, but I’m still proud of the guys.
“I’m unhappy with the result but proud to compete against such a good side. It was not easy to contain them in the second half.”
David Moyes believes James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid a red card for his reckless challenge on Alexis Mac Allister as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal, which Moyes claimed should have been ruled out for offside, gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were...
Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...
David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...
Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...
Southampton boss Ivan Juric vowed to keep fighting as relegation moved sharply into focus after Crystal Palace denied them only a third Premier League win of the season.Substitute Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time header, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Eagles, means Saints will be down at the weekend if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich.If relegation is confirmed on Sunday, Southampt...
Derby boss John Eustace insists his side are reaping the rewards for the hard work they have put in since he was appointed as manager after the Rams earned a 2-0 win over Preston to climb out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.Derby came out firing after a lacklustre opening period and Craig Forsyth coolly slotted the hosts in front with his fourth goal of the season.The Rams doubled thei...
Notts County manager Stuart Maynard hailed a “massive” three points as his side comfortably saw off MK Dons at Meadow Lane to maintain their promotion challenge.Two stunning strikes from David McGoldrick and Will Jarvis from the edge of the box, either side of Nick Tsaroulla’s close-range effort, earned County a convincing 3-0 win.“I think every three points is massive now,...
Kieran McKenna was not getting too giddy dreaming of a miracle escape from relegation after Ipswich beat Bournemouth 2-1 to pick up their first Premier League win of 2025.Goals from Nathan Broadhead and top-scorer Liam Delap did the damage as Ipswich put a further dent in Bournemouth’s hopes of qualifying for Europe.McKenna, whose side are still nine points adrift of 17th-placed Wolves who t...
Liverpool re-established their 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League with Diogo Jota’s strike against Everton settling a second controversial Merseyside derby of the season.Jota’s first league goal since mid-January was potentially one of his most important of the campaign as the 1-0 victory kept second-placed Arsenal at more than arm’s length.It also ended Everton manag...
- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender