Leeds United salvaged all three points against Norwich City on Sunday afternoon, courtesy of a late Joe Gelhardt winner.
Kenny McLean had slid in to break Leeds United hearts in the 91st minute of the game, before Raphinha's composure in rounding Tim Krul and setting up Gelhardt for the game's eventual winner in the closing stages sent Elland Road into rapturous celebration.
Head coach Jesse Marsch said he would remember the game-clinching moment on his 'deathbed' during his post-match press conference.
The American's family were in attendance at Elland Road for the first time this afternoon.
Here is every word Marsch had to say following Leeds' last-gasp winner against Norwich City.
Read more: Player ratings from Leeds United's last-gasp win
Jesse, congratulations. It was just pure emotion those last six minutes and the rest of the game. How do you feel?
Yeah, I feel like I played 96 minutes and obviously there's a lot of emotion in the in the late stages of the match. I've heard a lot about the magic of Elland Road. Certainly an incredible experience. My family was here for the first time today and even for them, for me, for them and for me and for everyone, you know, as we're moving forward together to understand exactly what this is, I'm continuing to try to learn everything about the city, the people the club, and then how to help it transition into a version of the football that I think can be really, really successful moving forward. And that's regardless of how the game was going to go in the end and obviously the three points are incredibly valuable; what I take away is the performance was strong, the idea of how we want to play the game the details tactically of where we want to be and how we want to play together was much, much, much better than both of the last games - certainly better than Aston Villa and even better than Leicester. So, you know, a big step forward for us not just because of the points but also because of the clarity on the pitch, tactically.
You could have been well clear at half-time, Jesse. Patrick Bamford going off at the break and then Rodrigo being taken off on the hour, how difficult was it to keep implementing what you were trying to do? Those two players had a massive effect on the game.
Yes. First of all, very happy with Patrick thought he had a very impactful 45 minutes, satisfied that that's all we needed to get out of him because maybe 60 minutes might have been too much and it was pretty clear at halftime that was enough. And Rodrigo, he and I have gotten to know each other really well in the last few days and had some really good conversations and talked a lot about what my vision is for him, what my vision is for the team and how he can help and how he can continue to believe in this transformation and he's such a good young man. And he's obviously a quality player. And I thought it wasn't just the goal. It was also the way that he played. So, yeah, I mean, we need this moment we need momentum to instil belief in, in the transformation that we're trying to make. But there's still so much work to do and there's still so many little things that we can improve on it and we will and we will use this moment to help us get to understand where we want to go.
Are those players going to be okay for Friday [vs Wolverhampton Wanderers]?
I would, I would guess that Patrick is fine. You know, I think if we just could see that physically, it was enough. And Rodrigo will have to see I think he had a little bit of tightness in his quad. I don't think it would be classified as an injury, but we just have to see how he recovers over the next days.
Early taste of what Elland Road can be like - in your career have you ever had anything like that?
Yeah, they asked me before will I remember this in two weeks, and I said, I think on my deathbed I will remember this. Obviously the last moments of the game you really feel the energy but I will say that throughout the game the difference between Villa and this Thursday night and today, was that we performed with confidence and with aggression and with quality and it really brought the crowd into the game and it gave them something to root for, to be attached to. I talked before the game about because Jacko, we talked about a couple of mental psychological things before the match. And he said to me, when people come to Elland Road, and that doesn't matter if it's the opposition, or if it's the fans or the opposing fans they know they're going to see a fight. Right? They're going to see a team that pours their heart and soul into the match. And we wanted to make sure that after Villa that we did that in a better fashion that represented what the club is and what the what the community is. So, that we showed.
How much do you feel that stress you mentioned has dissipated on the back of that?
Well, it's certainly momentum. It's certainly positive. It's certainly a big moment and big points. But again, more so for me was the performances and the group clarity for the football that we wanted to play. There's still so much work to do. I promise you that there's still so at every moment there's still little tactical positioning and ideas and connections that can be better and need to be better. But that was a step in the right direction. in many ways and we will certainly use it positively to help us move forward.
What can you say about the team's bravery and mentality to win after conceding?
I've said from the beginning, maybe even in the first press conference that that I can see the the quality of men not just in the team, but in the club. And that is what gives me so much hope for the potential of what what this can continue to be. So and obviously, I think we displayed that we displayed that by in a tough moment, not giving up. Obviously the the play that Raphinha makes is big. But I didn't see the look on faces like, like, it was catastrophic and the game was done. I looked, I had I saw looks on faces, like, we're gonna keep going, we're gonna find a way, you know. So even for me, you know, we went to five in the back because I could see that getting the second goal wasn't going to be easy at around the 70th, 75th minute. And so normally, I don't like to go into preservation mode, but I felt like it was necessary. but as soon as we gave up the goal, then I knew we needed to bring Joffy on and then obviously he's able to make a big play. The quality of people here is is big. Maybe he's as big as I've ever seen. And so we're going to continue to use that to help us get better and better.
What will a moment like that do for a teenager like Joe Gelhardt?
I mean, I don't think Joffy will ever forget that moment, either. He's a brave young man. He's got quality. And so I'm going to invest in all these young men and try to help them understand within the framework of the system that we're creating here. How they can get better and grow and continue to reward themselves and each other. So yeah, really happy for Joffy and obviously in a tough moment for the club and for the team he comes on and make a big play.
We saw a few times during the game you and the players almost looking for calm, slowing it down, giving yourself moments to take a breath, see how the game settles; we didn't see a lot of that with Marcelo. Is that what you've purposely done to take a bit more time and calm it down?
Well, I could see that there's this desire to attack and go forward and be aggressive and that's good. But we also have to, I think, understand what the game is giving us and then understand how to use what the opponent's giving us to figure out how to control the match the way we want to control it. And certainly there was a phase in the in the middle of the first half for me, where maybe we can make a quality action in the last third to find the second goal, but when we don't [it] leads to an open field and a transition in the other way, and we want to prevent that, we want to have more control of the match so that it doesn't get so open, so that we don't have to sprint and run the entire match that we do in phases and we understand the rhythm of what we want the game to look like. So, we're still we're still developing that and we'll keep working on the tactical ideas of how that works.
Earlier this week you asked for feistiness from Jack Harrison - we saw a lot more of that from him?
I thought he was fantastic and and I told him I knew he was disappointed not to be in the first XI, but I told him that he's got to have the mentality to understand what I want him to look like. And then to make sure that when we bring them on - and I told him he was likely in almost every scenario to be the first sub - that he was going to come on the pitch and bring us what we needed. And I think he did that. I think he did that in a big way.
Will the crowd help you in the way you want to play?
Well, I think a big difference in general from Thursday night was that we were more aggressive from the start and we were able to bring the crowd in the match more. Different games will require different things, but I learned on Thursday night that how important it was to have positive moments in the match to bring the crowd into the game and not to be too passive where they then don't feel like they have enough to get behind, so I have to learn too, I have to adapt and adjust to help our team, to help our club, to help our fans, because I can tell how intelligent they are by how they cheer, when they cheer. They'll get to understand more and more what the tactics behind what we're trying to do are and the right kind of cheering to make to help the team.
Started quickly today - is that another part of it, to get the fans behind the team early?
For sure, we talked about that before the game, we have given up in almost every one of the last seven or eight games, we've gone [a goal] down. In this league in general, games are incredibly difficult and if you're always playing from behind it can make it almost impossible. We need to continue to build a mentality to understand how to handle the game when we're behind but certainly having a fast start and pushing the game from the beginning and finding ways to get leads will ultimately help us get more results so that will be important.
Would've been easy to drop Rodrigo after Thursday night - why did you decide to keep him in the team?
Yeah, I had a very good conversation with the entire group and then with the leadership council and Rodrigo is a part of the leadership council. And then I had another individual conversation with Rodrigo afterwards and I told him how important he is and that he has to be a big part of the solution of where we need to go, moving forward. He is an incredible young man. He's an honest man, he's willing to have hard conversations and open conversations. And I know he wants to help and I'm just trying to instil belief and instil an idea of how he fits in and how off the field and on the field he can be a massive presence for the entire team. So he, I think he took our conversation really well, as did I. And I think he applied himself really, really well today, really, really well. And then you know, I think on another day if he if he doesn't feel the tightness in the quad, he could probably help us find the second one and continue to push in the match.
How crucial is this victory in terms of the league table, your first win and building this momentum?
Yeah. The points are big and we needed a reward to continue to instil belief in the transition we're making and in the process, but I believe that regardless, the performance warranted a positive feeling, even if it didn't end up in three points. Obviously, it's a bigger moment for us because we find the three points but I'm really going to focus on with the group, on how strong the connection was with the entire team tactically, mentally, psychologically in every way. Our identity I think has been created here for years, for decades. And we need to take the idea of football that I have and continue to ingrain that, that mentality of what Leeds United is and how it represents the community and the fans and create something special. So much more work to do and again I promise you there's so much more work to do and I'm not ever going to get ahead of myself until June and then I can take a breath but, I've enjoyed the last two weeks. I've enjoyed it. You know, and it's not always been easy. And there's been a lot to do, but I've really enjoyed it. And it's because of the people in the club.
Did you manage to exchange a few words with Dean Smith after the game?
Yeah, you know, I apologised to Dean. In Germany, you don't always shake hands with the coach after the game. And so my first thought was to kind of go and see our players. And then I saw he was waiting. And so, you know, I went over and apologised to him. And I explained to him: 'sorry, in Germany, we don't always shake hands after the match.' So I said, you know, I'm sorry. And I hope you accept my apology. Obviously, it's a it's a tough one for him and his club to swallow. And they certainly invested a lot and should be proud of their performance.
When the ball hit the back of the net for the second goal, where does that moment of euphoria rank in your life?
I don't know. It was, it was nice. I mean, you know, as a player and as a coach, I've been a lot of a part of a lot of championships, those those stick with you, you know, those, but when you talk about individual moments in your career, you know, that was certainly special. I know. I'll remember that one for a long time. But I think there's a lot bigger things in life than football, like your family and your children being born. And, you know, a lot of the things that, I think take a lot more precedence.
When you're sending on Joe Gelhardt what's your instructions to him?
Yeah, I asked him to play in the 10. And to be aggressive to join in as a second striker when when we had chances to help pick up second balls. And so he asked about set pieces, I said, 'don't worry about that right now. Just get in the game.' And then at one defensive corner kick he looked over at me and I just yelled at him to get into the box. And so wasn't the time to talk over every detail, but certainly, yeah, it was a big moment. Big moment for him and for us.
Can you just talk us through your view of the goal and take us back to that moment because he actually wins the header to start the move - talk us through the from your view?
So first, we went from three in the back to back to four in the back. And then we knew we had to play some longer balls. Joffy, you're right, he got up and battled for the aerial duel, which led to us being able to pick up the second ball which we need to continue to get better and better in - I've told the team that we're the worst team in aerial duel percentage in the league. And so this combativeness is still really important. And then yeah, second balls can always lead to chance in one direction or the other. So then we pick up the ball and Raphinha is in an attacking position and he realises that Krul has been very strong in one v one situations dribbles him and then finds Joffy in a good spot. So yeah. A big goal for us.
What about your celebration? You went in the air yourself.
Yeah, that's as high as I can jump. So we call that in America, we call that a credit card jump - you can barely get a credit card under there.
Jesse, overall it has been a very good weekend because Everton have lost, Burnley have lost, four points clear of the relegation zone. Does it feel as if it's big and it's this momentum is a turning point?
Yeah, I mean, for me, it's every day I've put a lot in to each player, the relationships that I have with them, the trying to create clarity as to the tactical model that we want. All of that with not much training time on the pitch. Even going into Wolves, it will be most of our work together has been in the video room, which I value the video room in a big way. And they're used to watching a lot of video because Marcelo was very detailed with that, with those things as well. But it's one thing to talk about it or look on a tactical board. And then it's another thing to be on the pitch and actually put the feelings to practice and understand what the relationships are. So we've been, you know, even on the bench, I'm a little more animated than I would like to be because I'm trying to help them understand where they need to be and how they need to move together. However, again, today was was a different feeling in so many ways, because they're now understanding the behaviours and they're understanding the tactics more and I think they're enjoying it. I think they're, they're starting to understand it and grasp it and enjoy it. And so I'll have to continue to find ways to feed them the right kind of information in a positive way so they can keep continue to get better and grow together.
