"They just stood there" - Daniel Farke reveals mistake two Leeds United players made v Millwall | OneFootball

Leeds were handed their first loss since mid-September on Wednesday night.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has said that two of his players were at fault for Japhet Tanganga's dagger-blow goal they conceded in their 1-0 loss at The Den on Wednesday evening.

Leeds' hunt for promotion took a slight backwards step in midweek at the hands of the Lions. They were able to put in a very stereotypical Millwall home performance to topple the visitors, with Tanganga's strike, from a Jake Cooper knockdown, in the 40th minute the only thing that separated the two sides.

Farke's players did manage to find what they thought was an equaliser in the second half, but Joel Piroe's close range effort was quickly chalked off by the raised flag of the assistant referee on the far side, who deemed the Dutchman to be offside when Brenden Aaronson got the touch on the ball that directed it into his path.

United had some other opportunities throughout the course of the 90 minutes, but they weren't able to capitalise on them, as another top scalp was taken by Neil Harris' Millwall side.

He was full of praise for Leeds, admitting that they were the best team that the Lions had played so far this season. Meanwhile, Farke was dissecting what went wrong for his team.

Daniel Farke points out two Leeds players for costly mistake vs Millwall

The German boss revealed after the game that a pair of his players had failed to do their assigned jobs on the free-kick which led to the former Tottenham Hotspur man's goal.

"The result. When you lose a game there is always something you can point to," said Farke, via Leeds Live.

"Football can be like this. The most unfair sport in the world. In every sport, there are so many points to play for, the better side wins. In football, one goal can be decisive. Even the defensive side can win a game.

"I am not annoyed at all. Excellent in the first half. We created more chances around their box than the last four away teams here in total.

"Millwall has invested so much in the first 20 minutes, but the bigger the gaps were the longer the half went on. You have to play without mistakes and stay disciplined. We avoided all their crosses and corners because we were in their half. Always one or two set-pieces you have to defend disciplined.

"Make sure Cooper cannot score and you are there with the second balls. Problem we spoke about this. Should have been two players dropping with Tanganga for the goal. They just stood there and were not disciplined in that moment. Applaud their effectiveness.

"Sometimes you have to score out of a set-piece yourself and we did not do this. Offside goal. Have to trust the referee. They are excellent in defending. They know how to break the rhythm."

Millwall loss is not an embarrassing result for Leeds

After what happened last season, it must feel like perfection is needed for the Whites to get back to the Premier League. But, as Farke rightly pointed out, Leicester City, who won the league last time out, lost 11 times throughout the course of their campaign. So one game like this is by no means the final nail in the coffin, especially at this point in the season.

What Leeds also need to remember is the quality of their opposition, and how good they are at home. Millwall are the fifth-best team in the Championship at home at this point in the season. They've only lost twice at The Den since the new term got underway - both were narrow defeats to local(ish) rivals Luton Town and Watford.