Leeds United manager Daniel Farke expressed his belief that his team deserved more than a point after their recent Premier League match against Bournemouth, which ended in a 2-2 draw at Elland Road. The late equalizer by Bournemouth's Eli Kroupi in stoppage time denied Leeds what would have been their second consecutive win.
The match saw Bournemouth take the lead in the first half with a low free-kick from Antoine Semenyo that slipped under the Leeds wall. However, Leeds responded with Joe Rodon heading in from a corner to level the score. In the second half, Sean Longstaff scored his first goal for Leeds, putting them ahead. Just as it seemed Leeds were heading for victory, Kroupi scored a late goal, securing a draw for Bournemouth.
Farke praised his players, highlighting their performance and dominance in terms of expected goals and shots. He felt Leeds had enough chances to win the game, even in the first half, but were unable to convert them. He also pointed out that Leeds had outperformed Bournemouth in terms of expected goals and shots. Farke noted that his team created numerous opportunities and had many shots on target, suggesting that only one team was missing big chances.
Despite the disappointing result, Farke was proud of his team's mental strength and resilience in coming back from behind. He also noted that Leeds limited Bournemouth to very few chances, which he considered a positive aspect of their performance. He acknowledged the effectiveness of Bournemouth in punishing small mistakes.
Leeds had a strong start to the game, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin being denied by Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic early on. Petrovic continued to make crucial saves throughout the match, keeping Bournemouth in the game. Despite Leeds' dominance, Bournemouth managed to capitalize on their chances, with Semenyo's free-kick and Kroupi's late goal securing a point.
Farke chose Sean Longstaff as his player of the match. Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth's head coach, admitted that his team was fortunate to leave Elland Road with a point. He acknowledged that Leeds had the clearest chances but felt that Bournemouth's goal was closer in the first half.
The Leeds United starting XI against Bournemouth was: Karl Darlow, Jayden Bogle, Gabi Gudmundsson, Ethan Ampadu, Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon, Sean Longstaff, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson, Anton Stach, and Noah Okafor. The substitutes included Illan Meslier, Dan James, Jack Harrison, Ao Tanaka, Lukas Nmecha, Joel Piroe, James Justin, Jaka Bijol, and Ilia Gruev.
With the draw, Leeds extended their unbeaten run at Elland Road to 23 league matches. However, the late equalizer left Farke and his team feeling that they deserved more from the game. Farke remains focused on building momentum and delivering similar performances in future matches.