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As the home supporters launched into a chorus of “Daniel, Daniel Farke,” a little smile played across the face of the Leeds manager as he offered a polite wave in return.
Up in the directors’ box, Paraag Marathe looked on inscrutably. If, and it remains quite a big if, he really is considering sacking Farke, the club’s chairman – who, perhaps significantly pulled out of a planned pre-match television interview at the last minute – must surely be having second thoughts after this.
Win at Plymouth on Saturday and Farke’s impressive Leeds will finish the season on 100 points and, due to their superior goal difference, clinch the Championship title. All kaleidoscopic passing and movement, they simply steamrollered Bristol City into submission here and the visiting manager Liam Manning can only hope that a defeat that could have been considerably heavier does not exert too much psychological damage at a vital moment.
Although City are well placed to finish in the top six they may still need to beat Preston at Ashton Gate on Saturday in order to secure a semi-final against Sheffield United or, more probably, Sunderland. Ominously, they did not have a shot of any description until the 75th minute here.
The shine has been stripped from the promotion celebrations inside Elland Road by suggestions that Leeds could be about to dismiss Farke. Given the manager’s achievement in securing a top-two place last week despite losing three of his best players in a £140m fire sale last summer, such suggestions seem absurd.
Although Farke is due to meet with Marathe, this week to “discuss the future”, club sources claim it is all part of a routine end of season review and nothing out of the ordinary.
Whatever the precise truth – given that the stories have not emerged from thin air, it seems someone, somewhere clearly has an agenda –the club’s owners, the San Francisco-based 49ers Enterprises, are surely misguided if they really believe they can get a better manager?
Perhaps significantly Angus Kinnear, the outgoing Everton-bound Leeds chief executive, penned an ode to the German in Monday’s match programme. “I want to congratulate Daniel on an almost immaculate season,” he wrote.
“Recent history has shown that this club needs a leader with broad shoulders, strong principles and unshakeable belief if it is to be successful. I don’t believe we could have a better leader.”
Farke himself remained characteristically poised before kick-off, telling a television interviewer: “It’s not my topic … I just recommend you don’t believe everything you read in a newspaper.”
Dressed in his trademark black parka, Farke took his place in the home dugout on an unusually warm late April evening, the ground turned into a sea of twirling yellow scarves as a raucously rousing rendition of the club anthem Marching on Together echoed in the balmy evening air.
Five years ago when Leeds were last promoted to the Premier League the Covid pandemic dictated that matches were played in eerily empty stadiums and locals were denied their party.
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They made up for it here and with Bristol City penned largely into their own half and struggling to string two passes together, it seemed only a matter of time until Leeds scored.
With the once again excellent Jayden Bogle rampaging forward from right-back and the outstanding Japan central midfielder Ao Tanaka integral to some glorious passing and movement, Manor Solomon soon swept the ball into the back of Bristol City net.
Although that effort was disallowed as Joël Piroe had strayed offside, Tanaka soon half-volleyed Solomon’s clever looping cross beyond Max O’Leary.
Bristol City could end up facing Sunderland in the playoff semi-final and, as they watched from their training camp in Portugal, Régis Le Bris and his players may have been encouraged to note that Tanaka had been left unmarked.
O’Leary was keeping City in the game, with the best of several important saves denying Solomon.
Leeds were enjoying around 75 per cent of possession and doubled their lead when Wilfried Gnonto ran onto Piroe’s superb through ball and expertly lifted his shot over the advancing O’Leary. It was all too easy to see why 30 points now separate these sides.
By way of emphasising the gulf in class substitute Largie Ramazani scored the third with his first touch after meeting a ball from Junior Firpo’s as perfectly calibrated as Leeds performance. Ramazani then scored a last-gasp fourth. Small wonder that, as the final whistle beckoned, Elland Road echoed to “Daniel, Daniel Farke.”
