Daniel Farke proud of Leeds response after tactical changes rescue Brentford draw

Daniel Farke praised Leeds United's resilience after his tactical changes helped them recover from a difficult first half to secure a 1-1 draw against Brentford at Elland Road.

Kevin Schade gave Brentford a deserved first-half lead as Keith Andrews' side controlled the midfield and repeatedly caused Leeds problems.

Farke responded with significant changes at the interval, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin eventually equalised in the 79th minute to ensure Leeds maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign.

Farke made no attempt to disguise how difficult Leeds found the opening 45 minutes.

“It is definitely a good point for us,” he said. “A very difficult, complicated game, like we expected. Brentford are in red-hot form.”

“They were excellent in the first half. They fully deserved to lead at half-time. They were the better side.”

Schade's excellent finish reflected Brentford's superiority as Leeds struggled to gain control in midfield.

Their problems were compounded when Joe Rodon was forced off with a hamstring injury, allowing summer signing Nico Elvedi to enter earlier than expected.

The Leeds manager recognised that his original setup was not working and responded decisively at half-time.

Jaka Bijol and Brenden Aaronson were replaced by Ao Tanaka and Harry Wilson, while Leeds abandoned their back three and switched to a flat back four.

The changes allowed the hosts to regain control, although Farke later adjusted the formation again as Leeds searched for an equaliser.

“I’m very proud of my boys’ reaction because I’ve asked a lot today,” Farke said.

“We brought new players in, got control back, but didn’t find a solution in order to open them and create, so we changed again the base formation in the end.”

The pressure eventually paid off when Calvert-Lewin struck with 11 minutes remaining.

Lukas Nmecha and Dan James also made important contributions from the bench as Leeds finished strongly enough to threaten a winner.

Brentford manager Andrews admitted there was some disappointment after watching his side surrender control following an impressive first half.

“There was a tinge of disappointment, but it’s not an easy place to come and get a point,” he said.

Andrews felt Brentford should have made more of their early dominance and tested Leeds goalkeeper James Trafford more frequently.

He also acknowledged that Leeds' response was inevitable once the Elland Road crowd became involved.

“We forced Daniel into changing his system, which is something he hasn’t done for quite some time,” Andrews added.

The draw leaves both teams on four points, with Brentford fourth and Leeds eighth following their opening two league fixtures.

Leeds will assess Rodon's hamstring problem, with his fitness potentially becoming the biggest concern to emerge from the match.

Farke can otherwise take encouragement from his team's adaptability. After being tactically outmanoeuvred during the opening half, Leeds responded to multiple changes and found a way back into the contest against an in-form Brentford side.