Everton 1-1 Leeds United: Trust against Barry
A manager is entitled, after much thought, to leave the players who kept a clean sheet last week out there on the pitch and expect them to keep doing their jobs, i.e., not conceding to Thierno Barry.
A manager is entitled, after much thought, to leave the players who kept a clean sheet last week out there on the pitch and expect them to keep doing their jobs, i.e., not conceding to Thierno Barry.
There was nothing low-key about anyone's celebrations, and why not? Leeds hadn't just waited a long time for this goal, they'd worked a long time for it, ever since Gabriel Gudmundsson scored the other way down London.
This season is for giving in to modern football's desire for turning itself into the worst kind of office work, for ensuring incremental off-field progress is supported by meeting predetermined on-field key performance indicators, i.e., not getting flipping relegated.
Sometimes you just have to give up a game up to the fates. But then you remember the fates have Harvey bloody Barnes playing for them.
In the end Leeds United won a valuable point that could be important for the longer term progression of the club against its key performance indicators on and off the field. But this was one occasion when fans wanted more than that Premier League routine.
Holding Liverpool to nil this way marked a complete and completely necessary inversion of Farke's promotion chasing Leeds United into a team chasing 17th with the same hunger, and the same sense of glory. Expectations have been lowered. And despite that, excitement has increased.
A game, two goals, some players and a season of stories destined for the record books, one way or another. Leeds and Sunderland have plenty left to say to each other.
The Peacocks' stubborn refusal to meander means making their own fun. Elland Road is a palace of nerves, as long as you can hold them.
Yes, yes, yes. Sunderland are doing great. Good for them. But Burnley are not doing great and that's even better for us.
Tanaka's stoppage time equaliser against Liverpool rewrote the match into a memory of ninety minutes of relentless glory. Calvert-Lewin's equaliser here turned the first hour of stern brutishness into a memory of spurned initiatives, chances to win not taken.