Leeds had waited several months for a win at home when Mowatt stepped up against Cardiff.
Going into Leeds United’s clash with Cardiff City one year ago today, Steve Evans knew that after just one game at Elland Road, he was already under pressure to end their long wait for a home win. Luckily for Evans, one of his players was able to step up with a moment of sheer brilliance against the Bluebirds.
The Whites had not won in front of their own fans for just short of eight months before the Cardiff clash. And while the summer accounted for a significant portion of that period, the hoodoo was still one that Evans needed to address if he was to stand any chance of succeeding during his tenure.
Former Leeds manager Steve Evans
The need for a win was amplified by the dismal display that Evans’ men had put in their previous home game as Blackburn virtually killed the game off inside the first six minutes.
The pressure on the Leeds side showed during the first-half against Cardiff as it proved to be a cagey opening to the game. And perhaps fearing that the second-half was going a similar way, Alex Mowatt decided to try his luck some 35 yards from goal shortly after the hour-mark.
The academy graduate struck the ball perfectly and sent it thundering into the top corner to give Leeds a narrow lead that they would hold onto.
Leeds United’s Alex Mowatt in action with Brentford’s Lasse Vibe
Though Mowatt would arguably score an even better goal in the next game, it was the strike against Cardiff that perhaps deserves to be considered the most important of Evans’ tenure.
If the midfielder had put the ball into the stands, the supporters may have become more disgruntled and that could have forced Leeds to adopt an even cagier style in an attempt to avoid defeat.
However, he showed the confidence to give it a go, and the fact that it flew into the net would have given everyone – on and off the pitch – a massive lift.
Alex Mowatt has struggled this season
One year on, and that goal has arguably proved to be one of the reasons why the 21-year-old has frustrated supporters so much in recent times.
It is clear that he has the ability to play at the highest level, and yet, his career has stagnated to the point that some fans would not be overly disappointed if his time with Leeds came to an end at some stage in the near future.
His form this season has largely been disappointing, but perhaps it may just take one more moment of quality for Mowatt to get back towards being the player that threatened to be the Whites’ talisman a couple of years ago.
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