Lady Luck shined down on Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch after his Whites' side claimed a superb comeback at Cardiff City in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.
On-loan Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene-Bidace opened the scoring with a well-taken finish despite a number of Leeds blunders gifting him the chance to put the home side 1-0 up. Things went from bad to worse for Marsch just seven minutes later. Sheyi Ojo, formerly of Liverpool, Fulham and Rangers, doubled Cardiff's advantage to ensure a horrific start to the game for the Whites.
Having crashed out to Sutton United, Crawley and other low-ranked sides in recent years and failing to qualify for the fourth round every year since 2017, fans were fearing for the worst. Wayward shots, a lack of cohesion and a sense of dread all contributed until Rodrigo's header just after the hour mark. All of a sudden Leeds looked reinvigorated, and for all the world they seemed capable of equaliser.
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That came to a head in the 80th minute; a smart Leeds move saw a shot handled on the line by Bluebirds defender Joel Bagan, and with the away end in uproar, referee Jared Gillett pointed to the spot and dismissed Bagan. All Rodrigo had to do was tuck the ball home from 12 yards.
That he failed to do. His powerful drive was kept out by Jak Alnwick with relative ease and Leeds fans wondered just when this hoodoo was going to end. Still, they had 10 minutes and stoppages to find an equaliser with an extra man - but they just could not break down the door, most notable when a superb run by Rodrigo resulted in Mateo Joseph being fed in just six yards out, but he couldn't find the target.
Yet the Whites redeemed themselves just moments later with time ticking on in the Welsh capital. Managing to get ahead of his man, youngster Sonny Perkins flicked the ball home before Alnwick could smother the ball to send the away end wild. Hear how fans reacted after a rollercoaster afternoon.
@DroyNot said: "We can NEVER do anything easily."
@Cosm1cz: "never a dull day with us man"
@UGGno1: "Been saying it for months need to let the youths play more they're more hungry, 2nd Half been so much better."
@heartsoftimber: "That's Jesse's fault."
@scottreeves88: "We are our own worst enemy but we’ve got plenty of spirit"
@LauricWhite: "Impressed with Worber, looks to have the right attitude from the off, can't wait to see more of him"
@jonny8green: "Willy Gnonto is our best player. He works hard. He’s dangerous. He wants the ball. Turns on a sixpence. Who saw this coming?"
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