Good Morning. It's Monday 8th December, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Tanaka seals dramatic Leeds fightback
Leeds United fans were treated to a pre-Christmas thriller at Elland Road on Saturday evening, as the Whites clawed back from two goals down to earn a pulsating 3-3 draw against reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. The game reached its dramatic crescendo deep into stoppage time when substitute Ao Tanaka unleashed a thunderous strike at the far post, sending the home support into raptures and denying Liverpool what had seemed certain to be a valuable away win.
Daniel Farke stuck with the 3-5-2 formation that had brought victory over Chelsea in midweek, though his side initially lacked the sharpness and tempo of that performance. The first half offered little in the way of excitement, but the visitors burst into life after the interval. Hugo Ekitike struck twice in the space of three minutes shortly after the restart, punishing lapses in the Leeds defence and seemingly putting Arne Slot’s men in full control.
Liverpool’s grip loosened on 66 minutes when Ibrahima Konaté’s rash challenge on Wilfried Gnonto inside the area handed Leeds a lifeline. Dominic Calvert-Lewin coolly dispatched the penalty, and a reinvigorated Elland Road roared its approval. The noise only grew louder nine minutes later, when Anton Stach’s low drive found the bottom corner to level the scores and set up a frenetic finale.
Slot’s side, however, thought they had weathered the storm when Dominik Szoboszlai restored their lead with a composed finish just five minutes after Stach’s equaliser. Yet Leeds refused to yield. In the sixth minute of added time, the hosts won a corner, and when Liverpool failed to clear their lines, Tanaka pounced with a blistering strike that rattled in off the underside of the bar. The stadium erupted, knowing they had witnessed one of the moments of the season.
The result lifts Leeds to 16th in the table, three points above the relegation zone and offers renewed hope for survival after a turbulent run of form. It was clear that the result meant everything to the players, who to their credit have remained united during the slump. Leeds have shown they can compete with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool - there is absolutely no reason why they should be relegated this season
Farke’s odds drift as Leeds find form
Just over a week ago, Daniel Farke’s tenure at Leeds United looked perilously close to collapse. Poor form, mounting pressure, and a chorus of speculation had bookmakers suspending markets on the next Premier League manager to be sacked. The German was widely perceived as a “dead man walking,” reflecting a sequence of disappointing results that saw the Whites drop into the bottom three. However, an unexpected upturn in fortunes has transformed both his public perception and statistical standing in the Premier League sack race.
Against two of the most formidable opponents in the league, Leeds managed to secure back-to-back points with a hard-fought win against Chelsea and an equally deserving point against the reigning Champions. These results were not only morale-boosting but also odds-defining. According to leading bookmakers Parimatch (Leeds United's official sleeve sponsor of the Leeds Utd first mens team) Farke’s position at Elland Road has shifted from critical to cautiously secure.
Just days earlier, Farke was trading as odds-on favourite to be the next Premier League manager dismissed, but his odds have now drifted dramatically to 7/2. Statistically speaking, that represents a significant adjustment in market probability, moving from implied odds of around 50% to nearer 22%. This reversal has largely been attributed to tactical changes, with Farke deploying a 3-5-2 formation that has tightened Leeds’ defensive shape while still allowing for attacking flexibility.
In contrast, Parimatch now sees Liverpool manager Arne Slot as the most under-pressure figure in the top flight. His odds have been cut sharply to 4/6, translating to a probability of roughly 60% that he could be the next manager to face the axe. The reigning Champions have picked up just eight points from their last ten Premier League games, leaving them seventeeth in the top flight form guide. Burnley’s Scott Parker follows Slot with odds of 4/1 (20% implied probability), while Thomas Frank's position (12/1) at Spurs seems to have settled following their comfortable victory over Frank's former club Brentford at the weekend.
Parimatch’s market movements also extend to potential successors. If Farke were to depart, former Wolves and Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neill is the firm favourite at EVENS, representing a 50% implied probability. Former Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester United, and Ajax coach Erik ten Hag is next in line at 6/4 (40%), with other candidates such as Carlos Corberán, Bo Svensson, and Brendan Rodgers seeing their odds drift significantly in recent weeks.
