Cardiff City’s interim coach Dean Whitehead labelled Leeds United duo Rodrigo Moreno and Wilfried Gnonto ‘fantastic’ after they combined to score a stunning goal in the 5-2 FA Cup third round win at Elland Road, speaking to the Bluebirds website.
For the first time since 2017, Leeds United are in the hat for the fourth round of Europe’s oldest club competition. And, following a performance which left Gary Neville open mouthed at Villa Park, 19-year-old Gnonto was it again on a baltic midweek night in West Yorkshire.
The former Inter Milan prospect needed less than 30 seconds to break Cardiff’s resistance; latching onto an inch-perfect Rodrigo pass before lashing a stunning first-time volley into Jak Alnwick’s net.
It was a strike Robin van Persie himself would have been proud of. A strike which further enhanced Gnonto’s reputation as one of Europe’s most promising teenage forwards. Arguably the finest pound-for-pound signing of Victor Orta’s Elland Road career.
Wilfried Gnonto shines as Leeds United hammer Cardiff City in FA Cup
“We talked about it before the match; Leeds are very strong in the middle of the pitch,” sighs Whitehead; disappointed to see his Cardiff side cough up possession in the build up to the hosts’ first-minute opener.
They counter-press the ball really, really aggressively. We made a technical error and we got punished. A fantastic ball and a fantastic finish.”
Rodrigo got his own name on the scoresheet two minutes before the exhilarating Gnonto doubled his tally late in the first-half. A brace from substitute Patrick Bamford, meanwhile, gives Jesse Marsch a welcome selection headache ahead of Sunday’s tricky encounter with Thomas Frank’s Brentford.
Bamford now has three goals in two games after returning from yet another injury problem.
“We were really hopeful surgery was going to solve some big issues for Patrick after a tough year. When he was out, it took longer to recover than everyone had planned,” Marsch admits to Leeds Live. “He was suffering because of that. He was stressed he was not perfect or starting or scoring.
“I tried to clear his head and get him back to loving the game again. (I have) seen that across the past two weeks. He has a smile on his face.”
A late brace from Callum Robinson took some of the shine of an otherwise impressive Leeds win, though the positives certainly outweighed the negatives as Marsch side set up a fourth-round clash with Accrington Stanley or non-league Boreham Wood.
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