Leeds United

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Leeds reporter Adam Pope says that fan panic since the Sunderland defeat has been "disproportionate".

With a 1-0 loss to the Black Cats on Tuesday, the Whites made it three in a row without a win at Elland Road - where their form has been strong this season.

The result made way for West Ham and Nottingham Forest, each avoiding defeat on Wednesday, to close the gap, leaving Leeds three points clear of the relegation zone.

But Pope believes that United are still in a good place.

"I don't think it's as drastically wrong as people are making out," Pope told the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast.

"The head loss this week has been disproportionate - I know it's largely because other teams have had results.

"But I still think they're in a very, very good position, and it's a position which allows them to be strong [in the FA Cup] this weekend.

"They've got a really good chance of going deep into this competition."

Drawn at home to a Championship side, Leeds have the opportunity to reach their first FA Cup quarter-final since the 2002-03 season if they beat Norwich on Sunday.

But with their Premier League position yet to be secured, manager Daniel Farke must decide how much he wants to commit to the knockout contest in his squad selection.

Pope notes that a home win in the cup could offer a well-needed boost to their league campaign.

"The side that played Derby, the side that played Birmingham - it should be enough to turn over Norwich, particularly at Elland Road," he said.

"But you can't be having a third defeat [in a row at home].

"It's a great chance to go and have a cup run, and give the fans something in a season which hasn't had much joy. It's a tough old league, it's very much the season we expected in terms of how it would feel - always looking over your shoulder.

"They need the winning feeling back, definitely."

You can listen to the full episode on Don't Go To Bed Just Yet on BBC Sounds

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Sunday's FA Cup fifth round game against Noriwch City at Elland Road (16:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Farke confirmed striker Noah Okafor is "not in team training yet and will not be available for this game" while he said "all the others seem all right and if nothing happens over the next few days, I should have a full squad available".

• Farke was asked about receiving a one-match suspension following his red card after full-time in last weekend's defeat by Manchester City: "I think the message I will take is that I will never jog on the pitch again because I was accused of entering the pitch and confronting the referee. I did my jogging and I won't again because I probably look a bit scary when I jog. I still think it wasn't the right decision to show me a red card because, even if I jogged, it isn't right to be given a red card anyway."

• More on the red card and decision not to appeal it: "There was not one bad word, no accusation or no bad language or whatever. I think the red card shouldn't stand, however I haven't appealed the one-match ban for one simple reason: because if I appeal and the panel comes together for two weeks, we speak again about this topic and then the decision is made. I don't think it makes sense to talk more about this topic and that's why I've simply accepted the ban."

• Farke was asked about switching attention from the Premier League relegation battle to the FA Cup: "We have at least a chance to go into the quarter-finals, which has been a while for this club. Then if you win that, you're just one game away. We know it is the cup with the most tradition in Europe and it is very special."

• However, he was frank about where Leeds' primary focus is: "Of course, survival in the Premier League is always the priority. For a newly promoted side, it has to be this way. But if you have the chance to progress you want to, so long as it's without risking any players or doing anything stupid."

• On facing his former side: "Norwich gave me my first opportunity in the UK, this club will always have a special place in my heart. But my focus is with my team, my club, my supporters. It is a disappointment I cannot be on the bench but I have confidence in my staff they can be successful. Big compliment to what Norwich have done in recent weeks, I was hoping they would do better when they were suffering. Right now they are in a situation where they can concentrate on the FA Cup and play their strongest line-up."

Follow all of Friday's FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Leeds v Norwich on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

After a worrying loss to Sunderland in the Premier League, attentions now turn to Norwich City for Leeds United as the FA Cup returns.

Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Simon Rix discuss both those games and season ticket prices on the latest episode of BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just yet.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

Image source, Reuters

Leeds boss Daniel Farke was sent off for questioning the referee's timekeeping at the end of the 1-0 defeat by Manchester City.

I felt for him. For years and years, the managers of the so-called smaller Premier League clubs have had an inward belief that the top teams tend to get more decisions go their way than they do. I certainly did!

The time being added on at the end of a game is getting longer and longer, with both teams often complaining about the rationale of the referee's decision.

I have always believed that every game should have a timekeeper working in unison with the referee, and showing everyone in the stadium, including supporters, when the clock is stopped and restarted.

Rugby union uses this method, and it works so well. With stoppages, like the types we see in football when injured goalkeepers go down, or for substitutions and any other significant breaks, we can see the clock stop and start by the referee's signal, but the timekeeper is overseeing it all.

Referees have enough on their plates today dealing with the ghosts of Stockley Park and their video assistant referees (VAR), let alone guessing what time to add on.

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds boss Daniel Farke has been given a one-game touchline ban and by the FA for his sending off after the defeat by Manchester City.

The German headed straight on to the Elland Road pitch at the final whistle to confront referee Peter Bankes, aggrieved at several decisions in his side's hard-fought 1-0 loss in the Premier League.

In his new conference before the next game, Farke said he "will never jog again" after being "embarrassed in front of the whole world" by his sending off - the first of his 16-year managerial career.

An FA statement said Farke admitted the misconduct charge and "accepted the standard one-match suspension and £8,000 fine".

The punishment means Farke will not be on the touchline for Leeds FA Cup fifth-round tie against his former side Norwich City at Elland Road on Sunday.

Pundits Micah Richards and Danny Murphy join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from the midweek Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds

Leeds United have announced a US tour before the 2026-27 season begins.

The Whites will take on Sunderland, Leeds and Wrexham across three different US cities.

Daniel Farke's side will take on Wrexham in Tampa on 25 July, before facing Sunderland in New Jersey on 30 July and Liverpool in Chicago on 2 August.

It will mark the first time Leeds have visited the US in 29 years.

The latest episode of Don't Go To Bed Just Yet sees an interview with Leeds United director Peter Lowy.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Below this post you can scroll to find five clips of Lowy speaking in the BBC Radio Leeds studio.

Considering it was matchday on the morning of an important Premier League clash with Sunderland Pete Lowy was surprisingly relaxed. The club director and investor is an avid supporter who admitted to us he still finds seeing the green of the Elland Road pitch magical and how he loves to arrive early and sit in the empty stadium.

Lowy, the Principle of the Lowy Family Group (the family who founded and built Westfield), was at ease in the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast studio talking at length about his passion not only for Leeds United but the redevelopment of the stadium and the importance of the government's support for the mass transit project in helping connect the ground and surrounding area to the city centre. Lowy revealed £10-£20m has already been committed to improving the ground and how a huge effort is ongoing to regenerate the South Leeds area which is severely under served.

"The real key is that we're working with local government and the national government and it is that their job is to invest in the infrastructure," Lowy told us.

"If they invest in the infrastructure and put in the tram, light rail, whatever you want to call it, then as developers, we can invest capital to develop that part of the city."

As for the football he was adamant that the club was in a healthy financial position with regards to PSR and although it was too early to discuss Daniel Farke's future he admitted that the manager's credentials to work effectively in the Premier League were not in question, stating emphatically: "What more does he have to prove?"

Oh, and come the day another season in the top flight is secured, without any guarantees just yet he warned, he told supporters the drinks are on him. "Let's pick the game where we know we're staying up in the Premier League and the pub's on me," said Lowy.

Listen to Don't Go To Bed Just Yet in discussion with Peter Lowy

Leeds United board member Peter Lowy has been talking to the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet team about the expansion of Elland Road: "We've spent somewhere between £10m and £20m already, probably closer to £20m.

"I would like to say that our work with the city has been fantastic. Historically, the relationship between the club and the city hasn't been that great, especially when the club went in administration.

"We came along and we got approval to do a whole renovation and an expansion of the stadium in two and a half years. That is a fantastic job between the city and ourselves."

He also talks about expanding capacity to 47,000 initially, then 53,000, as well as the public transport options they are working on and why revenue is critical to Leeds United prospering.

You can hear more of his chat below or on BBC Sounds here

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

Leeds United board member and major investor Peter Lowy told the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast: "The club has this skill set and the ability to pick out players other clubs don't see and help bring them back to the player they were."

He also praises Daniel Farke for getting players like Wilfried Gnonto and Brenden Aaronson onboard - and speaks positively about Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

"Daniel has an incredible man-management ability," explains Lowy.

"The team we have saw Calvert-Lewin's ability. When we talked about it, we thought the risk was minimal and the upside was huge."

You can hear more of his chat below or on BBC Sounds here

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Tuesday's Premier League game between Leeds and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

Leeds fans:

Mark: I don't think i've seen such a dreadful spectacle of the dark arts. Sunderland were shocking. Farke needs to get a grip of the first half malarkey, he took way to long to make the changes. Tanaka and Gnonto should've started. The players arnt the best and need more time on the pitch to make the desired impact. He failed us last night, badly!

Clan: I can't understand why we didn't start the game with the same intensity as the last 10 minutes??? We shelled Manchester city but looked toothless and bereft of ideas against Sunderland. We seem determined to engage with the carnage of a relegation battle! A good review of the management structure is needed sooner rather than later.

Mel: Leeds seemed set up to lose rather than going out to win. The pay was slow, tedious and lacked creativity which resulted in poor opportunities to score. Quality was missing when needed.

Bill: Leeds had a lot of the ball but didn't really create anything of sorts, so overall Sunderland brilliant defence outshone a poor Leeds attack and for me deserved the points.

Sunderland fans:

Mark: Sunderland were there for the taking. Unfortunately Daniel Farke didn't react fast enough. Poor display by both teams with Sunderland applying the dark arts, that's why there was 12 minutes added on. Officials really need to get a grip of it.

Chris: This win says everything about Sunderland's team spirit and character not pretty but job done .Forty points achieved let's push on now and enjoy rest of the season.

Neil: Sometimes you've just got to be pragmatic about such a match at such a time in the season. With the 40 point goal achieved now is the time to push on, play 442 and show our other strengths. We can do more than hit teams on the break whilst stoicly defending like tigers. Ugly has its time and place but now let's aim higher. Fortunately Leeds didn't have the quality to get through us. Time to express ourselves.

David: It was ugly. There was little quality. Even the penalty, our one shot on target, was poor. But overall, funnily enough, it was magnificent. A bodies on the line, backs to the wall, battling performance, with two crucial VAR decisions going our way. Fortune does indeed favour the brave.

What does the future hold for Daniel Farke, with the Leeds boss out of contract at the end of next season.

Leeds United director and large investor Peter Lowy says there is not yet a discussion to have.

Lowy sat down with the team at Don't Go To Bed Just Yet.

You can listen to a clip below or on BBC Sounds here

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

Leeds United director and large investor Peter Lowy has explained how returning the Whites to their "DNA" has proven a pivotal step for the club's owners.

Lowy sat down with the team at BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast to discuss his path to being involved with the club, his hopes for its future and routes to improving the Whites' status.

"The first thing we did when we invested and then when we took over from Andrea [Radrizzani] is we did a survey of most of the professionals in the club and we discussed what sort of football do we want to play," Lowy explained.

"Because before you invest, before you get a manager, before you go and buy players, you have to work out what sort of football club do you want. And I have this theory - and I'm sure everyone's going to disagree with me and tell me I come from a world that doesn't really exist - but I believe football clubs have a DNA to them.

"And the DNA for Leeds was set by Don Revie in the 60s and the teams which Eddie [Gray] was on and Billy Bremner was on and Jack Charlton was on. And I remember watching that team.

"And one of the things that we wanted to do was bring that DNA back to the club. Because I believe when a football club goes away from its DNA that was set long before we ever got around here, that's when they start to get in trouble."

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds will be "frustrated" in how they fell to defeat by Sunderland after VAR "let itself down", says former striker Jermaine Beckford.

The Whites suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss at home on Tuesday night after the Black Cats' Habib Diarra scored the winner from the penalty spot in the second half following a VAR review of a Ethan Ampadu handball.

However, Leeds themselves were earlier denied what they felt was a penalty after Luke O'Nien's challenge on Pascal Struijk in the box.

Boss Daniel Farke spoke about the incident after the match and said: "It's not even a question. What was VAR doing? It's tough to understand how this is not checked. If the referee watched it back he would say all day long it's a penalty. It's more for VAR, it's difficult for the referee to see."

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, Beckford added: "Leeds will be really frustrated because of the manner in which they lost the game. They had a great opportunity.

"They should have been given a penalty. I don't know what happened. You can't blame the referee for missing the incident because during a set-piece or corner, whatever goes on in the penalty box is really difficult to keep an eye on, but VAR is where it let itself down.

"They are supposed to pick up on the points the referee misses. When you watch the first replay back, it is clear something has happened. O'Nien put his arms around the neck of Struijk - clear as day penalty but no VAR check.

"Then they came out not long after and gave an embarrassing reason as to why they missed it, something about not being clear and obvious. I can't remember the wording exactly, but it was really silly."

The Don't Go To Bed Just Yet team have conducted a lengthy interview with Peter Lowy, Leeds United director and large investor.

In it, he discusses how and why he became involved in the club in 2023.

"There were two main reasons I invested in the club," explains Lowy.

"One was because of what happened when the club went into administration, it never had the investment that the club should have for a club in the city and the size of Leeds.

"By the time we got there, it was the only big franchise left in England that had any value in it.

"We had no interest in buying Chelsea for £2.5bn, no offence to the buyers or seller, I just didn't see the value in it for us.

"But when you look at Leeds, because of the difficulty the club has had, you had a fantastic franchise and an incredible football club that was totally under-invested in."

You can hear more of his chat below or on BBC Sounds here

The Don't Go To Bed Just Yet team have conducted a lengthy interview with Peter Lowy, Leeds United director and large investor.

In it, he discusses investing in the club, expanding Elland Road and his childhood love for the Whites.

"I've been a fan since I was a kid and it was hard to be a fan of English football and all leagues living in Australia in the 60s and 70s as we didn't have satellites so you couldn't watch the games," he explained.

"In fact Match of the Day used to be filmed, put on a Qantas flight, sent to Australia so you get to see it there next week. But I fell in love with English football.

"First memory of Leeds was the Revie teams and then the white kit with the smiley badge. When we brought the smiley badge back, it just evokes a feeling of the team and the football that is just inside me. And the way you look at it, I am in love with football and in love with the team and to be in the position I'm in now, it's almost hard to imagine that I could get here."

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

Leeds boss Daniel Farke speaking to TNT Sports after the 1-0 defeat by Sunderland: "If you lose a home game when you are so dominant, you don't allow the opponent one chance and you lose, it's disappointing and frustrating."

On the decisions against his side: "Football is sometimes like this. The whole stadium was exploding. One minute later it was not even a chance for them, an instinctive reaction from my most important and best player gave away a penalty. It's not necessary. It's written in the stars. The opponent sits in the dressing room and can't really explain why they won it and you are struggling to explain why you lost."

On the Pascal Struijk penalty appeal: "It's not even a question. What was VAR doing? It's tough to understand how this is not checked. If the referee watched it back he would say all day long it's a penalty. It's more for VAR, it's difficult for the referee to see."

On what was missing: "Clarity in the final third. This is what we have to add. Performance-wise, what we have invested, we can't complain. We are always self-critical. You need to get the ball into the net. This is what we need to improve."

You can listen to more from Farke on BBC Sounds here

Did you know?

• Leeds have suffered back-to back Premier League home defeats (also losing 1-0 to Manchester City) for the first time since April 2023, when they lost 5-1 to Crystal Palace and 6-1 to Liverpool.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The defeat by Sunderland was frustrating for Leeds in more ways than one.

Firstly there was the result, which could leave them just three points above the drop zone by the end of the week if results elsewhere go against them.

Secondly was their annoyance with the officiating, with the home fans clearly aggrieved at what they felt was Sunderland time-wasting from early on, and a perceived lack of action against that.

But, ultimately, the home side did not do enough in a game that provided a golden opportunity for them to take a huge step towards securing another season of top-flight football.

They had just four of 18 shots on target and did not test Sunderland's debutant keeper Melker Ellborg enough.

Joe Rodon's disallowed effort was a big turning point, and boss Daniel Farke made a raft of attacking changes near the end, but the visiting defence held firm.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Leeds' performance

What did you make of Sunderland's display?

Come back on Wednesday for a selection of your replies

Leeds boss Daniel Farke names an unchanged side for the visit of Sunderland.

Leeds XI: Darlow, Justin, Struijk, Rodon, Gudmundsson, Ampadu, Gruev, Bogle, Aaronson, Stach, Calvert-Lewin.

There are three changes for Sunderland. Melker Ellborg comes into goal while Luke O'Nien, and Nilson Angulo also start.

Sunderland XI: Ellborg, Alderete, Ballard, O'Nien, Hume, Sadiki, Diarra, Angulo, Geertruida, Le Fee, Mayenda.