“we’re back where we belong but not happy because…”- Leeds United boss Daniel Farke after promotion to Premier League confirmed
Daniel Farke wants everyone at Leeds United to enjoy the achievement of promotion before turning his attentions to keeping the club in the Premier League next year.
On an Easter Monday that will live long in the memory the Whites did their bit – and in some style – with a fantastic 6-0 win over Stoke City before watching on as Burnley beat Sheffield United 2-1.
It means Leeds are eight points ahead of the Blades with only two matches remaining and are guaranteed one of the automatic promotion places. They will now try to win the championship and have to equal Burnley’s results from here on in to achieve this aim.
The main aim was always to go up and after this came true on Monday evening manager Farke told LUTV: “It’s important to enjoy it.
“This club has had tough times in the last years, it’s important that our supporters celebrate it and embrace it. We’re back where we belong.
“The next step is to make this club an established Premier League club. You can be sure I will work with all my skills to make sure we do this.
“But this is something for in a few weeks. Right now we celebrate the first step, the most important one, to take this club where it belongs. Let’s see what we can do.
“Every situation is different, we promoted with Norwich not having the best side, complete underdogs and surprised everyone. Here at Leeds United you are always the favourite, a completely different challenge.
“It doesn’t take anything away, it’s a great achievement. To be successful with this club costs perhaps more energy than at other clubs, it’s more difficult. It takes lots of energy.
“I’m pretty exhausted if I’m honest but today is just joy and pride for the lads.”
Farke was delighted with the way the players handled the pressure of a game they needed to win to heap the pressure on their promotion rivals.
He said: “How the lads have handled the last weeks, this crunch time period when there’s lots of pressure on them, how we have performed, the spirit, the quality of the performance and the consistency of the results has been second to none.
“Stoke were in red-hot form, in position three for the last five game days, a really good team with a very experienced manager who knows the league inside out. To deliver such an emphatic performance – with the foot on the gas perhaps we could score a few more – is really amazing and all the credit goes to the boys.
“The mentality we’ve shown in recent weeks was unbelievable.”
Farke is proud of being the manager to oversee the highest points tally the club has had in a season with Leeds now on 94 with two matches to go.
He added: “I think it’s an impressive achievement, to be on 94 points is the best points tally this club has had in any season.
“Eighty nine goals are right up there too and still two games to play. It’s just more or less a reward for what the lads have done this year, outstanding consistency, we’re so hard to beat, scoring goals for fun, creating so many chances.
“The most important thing is the position in the league. What we have achieved with hard work and proper football is second to none.”
That proper football was quickly on show as the Whites swarmed all over Stoke from the first whistle and were two up inside eight minutes and five ahead by half-time.
Joel Piroe came up with four calm finishes to take his goal tally up to 19 and put him back on top of the division’s leading marksmen.
Junior Firpo scored the other first half goal from a cross from his opposite full-back Jayden Bogle and such was United’s domination that he spent more time at centre-forward than he did at left-back.
It was total football with moves started in their own half and an ease in getting in behind the visitors on the flanks – with a clinical edge this time.
If there had been any nerves among the players it did not show as they were hungry to consistently take the ball off their opponents and launch a crisp passing football that has set them apart in this division.
Leeds remained in control in the second half, but with the game already won there was not quite the same intensity, although they did add to their tally with a rare Willy Gnonto headed goal from a cross by his opposite winger Manor Solomon.
Farke was able to rest players in the last half-hour and, to huge cheers, gave 16-year-old Harry Gray a debut as the latest in the Gray family to represent Leeds – following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, great uncle and brother!
It was a day to remember in so many ways.
Leeds United 6
(Piroe 6, 8, 20, 41, Firpo 27, Gnonto 59)
Stoke City 0
Monday, April 21, 2025
Championship
Attendance: 36,644
Leeds: Darlow; Bogle (Schmidt 78), Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo (Byram 78); Tanaka, Gruev; Gnonto (Ramazani 66), Aaronson (Gray 85), Solomon; Piroe (Bamford 66).
Stoke: Johansson; Tchamadeu, Phillips, Wilmot, Wilson-Esbrand (Gooch 45); Pearson, Burger (Seko 72); Manhoef (Gibson 45), Baker, Jun-ho (Koumas 45); Al-Hamadi (Lawal 60).
Referee: Darren Bond.
