Dan James ‘gutted’ at Leeds United as Stoke destroyed at Elland Road
Dan James watched from the sidelines as Leeds United destroyed Stoke City in the Championship on Monday at Elland Road.
Mark Robins’ team took on the Championship leaders on 21 April, and the hosts proved too much for them.
Joel Piroe set the tone at Elland Road, scoring a hat-trick within 20 minutes, before getting his fourth as Junior Firpo also got on the scoresheet in the opening 45 minutes.
Willy Gnonto scored the final goal of the game as the match ended 6-0, with the West Yorkshire outfit making a statement.
Leeds United absence disappoints James in win v Stoke
James must’ve potentially been gutted to be absent from the Whites’ win over Stoke, Adrian Durham says.
The talkSPORT pundit couldn’t comprehend what the Wales international would’ve done to the Stoke defence if he were playing.
| Competition (2024/25) | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Championship | 36 | 12 | 9 |
Durham wondered what the 27-year-old winger could’ve done against the Potters, who looked clueless at Elland Road.
Speaking on talkSPORT (21 April, 16:40), the pundit said: “Remember, this is without James. What he would’ve made of Stoke’s defence in that first half. Wow. It doesn’t bear thinking about, but he must be gutted he couldn’t play today.”
Farke deserves praise for work at Elland Road
James missed the win against Stoke due to an injury, with fitness issues something Farke has had to contend with a lot this season.
The German manager was without two of his best players, Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, for a considerable period in the current campaign, but managed to keep the Whites competitive.
Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell formed a brilliant partnership for the West Yorkshire outfit when they needed it the most.
Leeds fans would’ve called for Farke’s sacking had their team failed to win promotion this season.
The German manager has now instilled confidence among supporters after convincingly beating the Potters at home.
With Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle up next for the West Yorkshire outfit, there’ll arguably be a positive attitude among the supporters.
While the former Norwich City head coach has experienced a few difficult patches at the Peacocks in the current campaign, he’s consistently shown a tremendous attitude throughout.
Farke will now hope 49ers Enterprises will back him next summer and reinforce the Whites’ squad, as staying in the Premier League will be their biggest concern.