Leeds United's Winning Momentum Under Farke

Anton Stach didn’t just score a winner at the City Ground. He rewrote the mood music around Leeds United’s season in a single, vicious swing of his right foot.

His late free-kick, arrowed beyond Matz Sels and into the corner, sent him sprinting towards the away end, arms wide, swallowed by the noise of travelling Leeds fans who have seen too many nervous afternoons on the road. One point became three. An opening-day test became a statement.

It felt a long way from their last visit to Nottingham.

From Dyche’s lift-off to Farke’s momentum

Back in November 2025, Leeds had walked into the same stadium with hope and walked out with doubts. Lukas Nmecha struck early that day, only for Nottingham Forest to roar back with three goals, handing Sean Dyche his first win as Forest manager and nudging Leeds towards relegation worries.

That result was supposed to be the spark for Forest’s resurgence under the third of their four managers last season. It never truly caught fire. Nine months on, it is Leeds who carry the momentum.

Under Daniel Farke, they have quietly turned into one of the Premier League’s form sides. Five wins from their past eight league games. Seventeen points collected since the start of April, a tally bettered only by Arsenal’s 18 in that spell. The numbers back up what the away end could feel on Saturday: this is no longer a side just clinging on.

“I expected a difficult game away at Forest,” Farke told BBC Match of the Day, his tone more satisfied than surprised. “I’m very happy to come away with a cleansheet and compliments to the players.”

From survival to something more

Leeds finished 14th last season, eight points clear of danger. Safe, but hardly soaring. That comfortable final position masks how turbulent the first half of the campaign really was.

They stumbled through their opening 13 league matches, winning only three and losing eight. Pressure grew. Questions circled around Farke’s methods, his selections, even his suitability for the job.

Then came the pivot.

A 3-2 defeat at Etihad Stadium on 29 November, of all places, changed the trajectory. Farke switched from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2 against Manchester City, and while the result on the day went against them, the performance hinted at something sturdier. From that point, Leeds lost only five more league games all season.

The players felt the difference.

“There were times in the first half of last year where we allowed teams to run over us a bit,” captain Ethan Ampadu told BBC Final Score. “We wanted to get a bit more solid and put our stamp on the game. We want the ball, we want to be attacking and creative.”

That intent is now backed by results. This win at the City Ground matters for another reason too: Leeds were poor travellers last term. They only managed two league victories away from home across the entire 2025-26 campaign. No wonder this one tasted so sweet.

“Away games in Premier League are always difficult,” Farke said. “Sometimes the second year is more difficult. Last season, we picked up many points with draws. On the road, we want to be competitive and be more effective.”

On Saturday, they were both.

Backing the manager – and the £80m response

Farke’s own future was not always secure. After guiding Leeds to safety, he publicly warned that he might walk if the club failed to match his ambition in the transfer market, bluntly stating he was “not the right choice” to lead them otherwise.

The board listened.

Around £80m was poured into new signings over the summer, and three of them went straight into the starting XI on opening day. They did not look like players easing their way into a new environment. They looked like upgrades.

James Trafford, signed from Manchester City for £45m – a record fee for a British goalkeeper – produced the kind of decisive stops that justify such a price tag. No fuss, no drama, just big saves when they were needed.

In front of him, Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic brought presence and purpose. He defended with authority and almost scored at the other end, rising to meet a set-piece and forcing Sels into action with a towering header. Leeds have been searching for more threat from dead balls; Muharemovic looked like part of the answer.

Further forward, Harry Wilson, a free transfer after posting 10 goals and seven assists for Fulham last season, drifted between the lines and nearly crowned his debut with a goal, only to be denied by the offside flag. The finish was sharp. The warning to future opponents, sharper.

“From the very first minute they walked into the building, they have shown their quality,” Ampadu said. “They have shown why they have been brought in to try and help us get to the next level. They’ve shown that hunger and drive to take Leeds to a better place so that has been very good.”

Farke agreed, but made sure the spotlight stretched beyond the new faces.

“I am very happy because they have big boots to fill,” he said. “Trafford is a good player but he hasn’t played that many Premier League games, Tarik too. So they both shined and showed why we agreed to sign them, but the whole group was excellent today. Wilson too was excellent. The vibe and mood is good around the place.”

It is no small detail that Farke is now the third-longest-serving manager in the league, behind only Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and Aston Villa’s Unai Emery. Stability is rare currency in the modern Premier League. Leeds have chosen to spend it on him.

Old heads, new edge

For all the attention on the newcomers, it was an established figure who delivered the decisive blow. Stach’s free-kick was the sort of moment that can turn a solid performance into a signature victory. Technique, nerve, timing – it had the lot.

With players like Stach still producing and the summer signings already bedding in, Leeds suddenly look like a side with layers. Not just a hard-running, survival-first outfit, but a team with options, depth and a growing sense of identity.

“We know our targets and goals,” Ampadu said. “We want to be a Premier League club next season. We want to achieve that target and then get to a better place. Once that can be achieved, we think of everything else.”

That “better place” no longer feels like a vague ambition. Not when they win away from home, keep a clean sheet, see their new signings impress and their match-winner bend a free-kick into the top corner in front of a delirious away end.

Leeds have started this campaign not by clinging to safety, but by reaching for something higher. The question now is not whether they can survive under Farke.

It’s how far this version of Leeds United can go.