Daniel Farke makes Leeds United admission following Arsenal defeat with Karl Darlow reaction and changes plan

Whites boss Daniel Farke made a frank Leeds United admission following Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Arsenal with Karl Darlow reaction and explanation to his Whites changes plan.

Farke’s side went into Saturday’s visit of the Gunners having suffered just one defeat in their last ten league games but fell to a 4-0 reverse as Mikel Arteta’s title favourites netted twice in each half.

Both of Arsenal’s first half goals came from corners, the opener indirectly with Leeds initially clearing their lines but Noni Madueke’s cross back into the box picking out Martin Zubimendi to head home.

Another Madueke corner led to Arsenal’s second, keeper Darlow attempting to clear the in-swinging delivery from under his bar only to punch the ball into the side of the net amid a sea of Leeds bodies under the crossbar.

Farke then brought on both Sean Longstaff and Noah Okafor at the break but Arsenal netted two more goals through Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus with Farke admitting the major damage had ben done in the first half.

The Whites boss said his changes were designed to get Leeds back into the game rather than settle for a 2-0 defeat but readily admitted the best team on the day and indeed best in Europe had won.

Pressed for his take on the performance, result and how much of a blow it was, Farke said: “First of all, congratulations to Arsenal.

“Not too much to over-interpret”

"It was a deserved win so today I have to say that we have to accept that the better team won this game.

"Of course, we were also realistic before, we faced today the best side currently in Europe, there are reasons why this team is sitting top of the table in the Premier League and why this team is the best team currently in Europe - eight wins out of eight Champions League games.

"Of course, you need a perfect day in order to give yourself a chance and also a bit of luck that this side perhaps is not there with their best day and not super effective.

"But today sadly we we didn't have our very best day and they were on it from the first to the last second and for that they deserved to win this game.

"We have to accept their quality today, we have to say congratulations, they were better and for that there is not too much to over-interpret into this game."

Asked how Darlow was, Farke admitted: “Overall of course he is disappointed with the situation.

"I think in general today the key was that we didn't find the solution to create chances against them, to score goals.

"Whatever we did today, in the first half, against our processes they always found an answer so we changed the base formation in the second half, we brought different type of offensive players on, we brought many offensive thinking players on as well but whatever we did they always had an answer.

"We were not able to really create chances and this was the first part of our game.

"The second part, against the ball, in the first half out of the game I can't really remember a chance for them but obviously et pieces are also a big topic for them.

"I think we gave a few too many away.

"Additionally we defended the corners pretty spot on but the problem is if you then clear sometimes a corner and there is a second phase and to concede out of this situation was tricky.

"Of course we should defend this situation better”

"Of course it is a crossing situation and we are then in the centre over shifting to the first post and had an underload and they had a relatively easy 1-0.

"The second was more or less an own goal probably, at least there was not one Arsenal player close to it.

"Of course we should defend this situation better, if you concede two goals like this and you are 2-0 down against the best side in Europe then it was always clear it would be a long afternoon.

"Again, one death you have to die, we decided to go for it in the second half and to try with one goal to have a foot back into the door.

"I think we had 20-25 good minutes but we were not able really to create good chances in these moments and take advantage of it and of course to change back to a back four.

"The gaps were then more or less a bit bigger for their offensive players and then Gyokeres and especially Jesus was unbelievable with movement for the fourth goal, they showed then their quality and what they can do if they have a bit more space.

"For that, their offensive quality was better today. Of course, we could have defended the situation in the first half better, to be 2-0 down was of course the key because otherwise we wouldn't have had to take more risks and could have stayed a bit more solid.

"But once you are 2-0 down in a home game, it's not like we wanted to just accept a 2-0, we still wanted to go for it and for that not too many hard feelings and just congratulations for the quality Arsenal have shown today."