Reaction: Fabian Hurzeler on draw against Leeds

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Luka Vuskovic earned Albion a point with a second-half equaliser

Bruce Talbot

2026-09-05T17:45+01:00

Fabian Hurzeler exchanges a word with Daniel Farke before kick-off. 📷James Boardman

Fabian Hurzeler gave his thoughts to the media after the 1-1 draw against Leeds United on Saturday.

On what changed in the second half…

Everything. We got more intensity, more energy. We won more first balls. We were sharp on the second balls. We understood that, first of all, it's about doing the basics right, being physical and trying to outwork and outrun the opponent. That's always the foundation of the game. I think it's important that we saw it in the second half.

We can change a game within two, three minutes. We don't need a lot. We have this quality, but we need to understand we have to be consistent in outworking and outrunning the opponent and not always to chase the result. That's definitely something where we have to find answers because, in the end, two completely different halves is not enough in win a Premier League game.

On whether a draw was a fair result…

I think when you take the 90 minutes, it might be a fair result. Of course, we had big chances. We showed a lot of effort and energy in the second half. We created plenty of chances and moments where we were really dangerous in the opponent's box. Credit to the boys, to how hard they worked and how much belief they showed in the second half. They will get rewarded for this, but we definitely need to start better in Premier League games.

On Luka Vuskovic scoring his first goal in only his third Premier League game…

I think what he has is the physicality to adapt quickly to the Premier League. We shouldn't underestimate that he's a really young boy. For his age, he plays very maturely, and he has definitely adapted quickly. He still has moments similar to the whole team performance, where he might switch off a little bit, moments where he's not 100% into the game, and moments where he also has a little lack of experience, but this will come over time.

He's so young. He played his third Premier League match against a striker who's so experienced, and that's definitely something he will learn from. The Premier League will educate him. We try to help him, we try to give him support, and then he can be a top player.

I think he can be a real threat in the opponent's box, no matter if it's a throw-in, a free kick or a corner. So that's a real positive. But the truth is that we have to be more stable when we face a throw-in, free kick, or corner. That's definitely something we have to work on, and Luka will hopefully help us and then we try to give him these kind of opportunities where he can also score.

On another good performance by Malick Yalcouye…

I was very impressed because it was another really good individual performance from him. He always shows a lot of energy and effort. He's good in possession and out of possession. He showed it in pre-season, and that's why we wanted to give him this chance. I think so far he's really helped the team, and hopefully he can continue like this.