Anton Stach free-kick masterclass for Leeds United all the more remarkable after new admission
Anton Stach has revealed he did not have a chance to practice any free-kicks prior to his stunner in Leeds United’s draw at Aston Villa.
The 27-year-old caught out Emi Martinez with a remarkable effort from 35 yards to put Leeds a goal ahead at half-time at Villa Park.
However, Tammy Abraham equalised two minutes from time in Saturday’s contest as the spoils were shared in a 1-1 draw.
There is no doubt what the moment of the game was, though, and that was Stach‘s piece of individual brilliance.
Anton Stach didn’t have chance to practice free-kicks
Stach missed Leeds’ past three games prior to the Villa draw due to injury, which kept him away from the Thorp Arch training ground.
And speaking to the club’s website after the game in the West Midlands, Stach said: “I just came back from injury so I have not had enough time to practice.
“But before the free-kick they asked, yeah, maybe you go second post. But then I saw that the goalkeeper had been lurking for the second post, and then I just thought I will just do it.”
Stach was very much justified in going for it, even if he was rusty, with this his third direct goal from a free-kick in the Premier League this season.
He is now just one shy of Ian Harte’s record of four in a single Premier League campaign by a Leeds player.
Stach sends Leeds records tumbling
Stach will fancy his chances of equalling that record set by Harte more than two decades ago, with 11 games of the campaign still to go.
The midfielder is the first Leeds player to score three free-kicks in a campaign at any level since Ross McCormack (three) in 2013-14.
As per LUFC Data via X, meanwhile, he is the first Leeds player to score three right-footed free-kicks in a Premier League season since Gary McAllister’s days.
Leeds fans already knew they had a special talent in Stach – one of, if not the signings of the summer – and now the rest of the Premier League is sitting up and taking notice.
There is far more to the German’s game than free-kicks, and there is also no doubt far more still to come during his time at Elland Road – however long that may be.
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