Daniel Farke admitted Leeds were “heartbroken” after throwing away victory in their 2-2 Championship draw at home to Swansea – but admitted he was still confident of reaching the Premier League.
Swansea substitute Zan Vipotnik scored a dramatic equaliser in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage-time to deny Farke’s men a return to the Championship summit.
The Slovenia international’s strike left Elland Road stunned, and Farke said: “It’s a heartbreaking moment if you concede in this manner but it’s football.
“If you want to take part in sport, you can’t expect the sun to always be shining.
“We’ve had great winners in the last minute and the opponent had to suffer the disappointment we had today – Sunderland and Sheffield United felt exactly the disappointment we do.
“You have to suffer a little bit, that’s normal, but then we go again.”
With seven games remaining, Leeds are two points adrift of leaders Sheffield United but ahead of third-placed Burnley on points difference.
Automatic promotion is still in Leeds’ hands and Farke added: “We are still in the situation that if we win our last games, we will finish in the top two.
“That’s due to the fact they (Sheffield United and Burnley) still have to play each other but there’s never a guarantee of success.
“Right now it’s the final step which is always the most difficult.
“I was in this situation before and I know how tricky it is but I know how difficult it is to bring it over the line.
“If you ask me right now, I’m 100 per cent convinced we will play in the Premier League next season.”
Farke was also forced to defend Illan Meslier after the Leeds goalkeeper made an awful error in gifting Swansea their first equaliser.
United States midfielder Brenden Aaronson put Leeds ahead from close range inside just 35 seconds before Meslier saved a 13th-minute penalty from Josh Tymon.
But after Meslier dropped the ball from Tymon’s corner in the 64th minute, Swansea’s Harry Darling was on hand to fire home and make it 1-1.
Willy Gnonto struck a fiercely-struck shot which flew into the net to put Leeds 2-1 ahead but the visitors kept probing and were rewarded late on when Vipotnik latched onto Joe Allen’s pass and fired low past Meslier at the death.
Farke said of his French goalkeeper: “I’m far away from punishing a player because we win together, lose together and draw together.
“After such a game and such a heartbreaking finish, they don’t need a manager who puts the result on the shoulder of players.”
Caretaker Swansea boss Alan Sheehan believed his side were worth a share of the spoils, saying: “A point is the least we deserved – we were tactically excellent.
“We had a nightmare start and went 1-0 down but we kept going and it was a high-quality pass for the equaliser late on.
“Leeds are one of the best teams in the league – if not the best – and it’s the toughest ground to go to.
“But Joe Allen played that pass into Vipotnik and it was wonderful to see the two substitutes combine.
“To come here and get a point shows the belief and the togetherness that we have right now.”
Arne Slot said Premier League top scorer Mohamed Salah proved he is “human” after missing an open goal at a crucial stage of Liverpool’s thrilling 3-2 loss at Brighton.With the champions leading 2-1 at the Amex Stadium, Reds forward Salah had a golden chance to mark his 300th Premier League appearance with a 29th top-flight goal of the campaign.But he somehow fired wide from the ...
Jack Hinshelwood struck a late winner as Brighton boosted their slender hopes of scraping Conference League qualification with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Premier League champions Liverpool.Arne Slot’s Reds were on course for success at the Amex Stadium following an eye-catching finish from Dominik Szoboszlai after Seagulls midfielder Yasin Ayari cancelled out Harvey Elliott’s early o...
Chelsea are understood to have opened talks with Ajax officials over a potential transfer deal for Jorrel Hato, who is also on Liverpool’s list of targets.Sources close to the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Chelsea are leading the race for Hato’s signature at the moment.However, it is also anticipated that Liverpool could enter the running, even if they are currently felt t...
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits Jack Grealish's future will be discussed at the end of the season.The midfielder failed to make the bench for Saturday's FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, with Guardiola instead giving Claudio Echeverri his debut as a late substitute at Wembley.Asked about Grealish's situation, Guardiola says talks will be held between his agent and outgoing sports di...
Liverpool are one of a number of clubs exploring a potential transfer move for Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze this summer.The England international has a £70m release clause, and CaughtOffside understands that Palace would require that to be paid in full for him to leave.For the moment, nothing has been decided on Eze’s future, but he’s set to have a host of temp...
LIVERPOOL icon Steven Gerrard could be poised to make a return to Rangers, according to reports.Rangers interim manager Barry Ferguson left the club following Saturday's match against Hibernian.The 47-year-old took over on a temporary basis following the dismissal of Philippe Clement in February.Rangers are now on the hunt for a permanent successor.And the Daily Mail has claimed that Gerrard is on...
JURGEN KLOPP is set for a sensational return to management with Roma, according to reports.The German hung up his managerial hat at the end of the 2023/24 season when he ended his love affair with Liverpool.Jurgen Klopp is reportedly on the verge of returning to managementKlopp, 57, ended up taking a role with Red Bull last October, becoming their Head of Global Soccer.The former Kop chief, howeve...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. UCL next year✅Liverpool✅Arsenal Which team will Gyokeres go to? Brighton 3-2 Liverpool Seven years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his final goal for Real Madrid. He finished with 𝟒𝟓𝟎 Inter were minutes away from overtaking Napoli in the title race……then Pedro and Lazio saved the day The Hansi Flick effect! Erling Haaland’s Shocking Record in ...
Liverpool could reportedly pounce on a huge deal after Manchester City pulled out.Liverpool could pounce after City reportedly pulled out of a world-record deal Manchester City have reportedly withdrawn from the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen ace Florian Wirtz after concluding that a deal would cost a staggering £252million. Wirtz has been among Europe's best players over the last few seasons ...
Manchester United have a big summer transfer window ahead.Manchester United chiefs have reportedly staged a face-to-face meeting with Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of a potential move to Old Trafford. Delap is almost certain to leave Portman Road this summer with Ipswich heading straight back down to the Championship. He has been one of the few bright sparks for the Blues, scoring 12 goals...
- 1 Richie Wellens hails Leyton Orient’s ‘outstanding’ victory over Stockport
- 2 We will see – no Unai Emery assurances over future of tearful Emiliano Martinez
- 3 Arsenal offer £135k deal to seduce target
- 4 Mikel Arteta ready to give his life to deliver silverware for Arsenal
- 5 Leyton Orient book Wembley date by beating Stockport on penalties
- 6 Chelsea beat Manchester United in FA Cup final to seal domestic treble
- 7 Mikel Arteta apologises for failing to deliver Arsenal a Premier League title
- 8 Liverpool cleared to complete signing
- 9 Brendan Rodgers hits out at ‘needless challenge’ on Reo Hatate
- 10 Marc Guehi to land transfer to Real or Barca