Here are your Leeds United morning headlines on Thursday, January 19.
Cardiff City boss Dean Whitehead highlights 'fantastic' Wilfried Gnonto after FA Cup clash
Cardiff City interim manager Dean Whitehead admitted that his side were 'punished' by a 'fantastic' Wilfried Gnonto last night as Leeds United ran riot at Elland Road. They beat the Bluebirds 5-2 to progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup where they'll face either Boreham Wood or Accrington Stanley.
The young Italian channelled his inner Paolo Di Canio as he volleyed home an outrageous finish after just 30 seconds to give Jesse Marsch's side the lead. That was then followed up by a goal from Rodrigo, who continues his excellent form in front of goal, and then Gnonto's second to give the Whites a3-0 lead at halftime.
A cameo from Patrick Bamford saw another two goals which will no doubt spark confidence in the forward whose injury woes threatened to derail his entire season. But Whitehead was more impressed by those in the middle of the park.
"We talked about it before the match; Leeds are very strong in the middle of the pitch," Whitehead explained to the club's website.
"They counter-press the ball really, really aggressively. We made a technical error and we got punished. A fantastic ball and a fantastic finish.
"We had to regroup and get more solid, but we couldn't quite hold out for the rest of the first half. We had to change the shape at half time, because we were having too many problems."
Every word Jesse Marsh said on Leeds United's Cardiff win, Gnonto, Rutter and Wober injury
Congratulations Jesse, it's just been summer up there, the chief executive has just come up and give you a big hug. You're in the fourth round, how pleased were you with the performance tonight?
Yeah, really, really happy. I felt really strongly before the game that we were ready for a strong performance. I told the team that. Obviously 35 seconds in, you can’t ask for a better start. A lot of individual good performances on the on the night for me and a collective understanding of what we wanted to achieve. I said after the Villa game that we took that as a big positive and if we play like that, that we're going to we're going to do well.
It's a game we should win, but that doesn't mean you're always going to win. In the end, we performed well, and we got the deserved result.
Four big Leeds United winners against Cardiff as Whites seal FA Cup berth in style
Leeds United cruised into the next round of the FA Cup with a dominant 5-2 win over Cardiff City at Elland Road.
Here’s a look at the winners and losers on the night.
Winners
Wilfried Gnonto
Gnonto continues to establish himself as the brightest and most dangerous player in this current Leeds squad. He was simply too good for Cardiff as he ran riot down their right-hand side and his first goal against the Bluebirds will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to be in attendance at Elland Road, watching the ball come over his shoulder before volleying the ball home with a scissor kick with just a minute on the clock.
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