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.
Read more: Leeds United player ratings as Gnonto, Rodrigo and Bamford put Cardiff City to the sword
He grabbed a second in the first half with another smart finish, turning inside and beating Jak Alnwick at his near post. He worried the Cardiff keeper on a couple of occasions after that, too, before being replaced by Joe Gelhardt in the 67 th minute.
Gnonto only made his Leeds debut in October, which is crazy to think about, but he’s surely one of the first names on the teamsheet moving forward. As for bargains, they don’t come much bigger.
Luis Sinisterra
After spending the last three months on the sidelines with a foot injury, Luis Sinisterra made his return to a matchday squad and his presence was a welcome one. He got a warm reception as he stepped out of the dugout to keep himself warm in front of the West Stand and his introduction in the 79 th minute went down well, too.
He was last seen in a Leeds shirt in October and he’ll be keen to make an impact at Elland Road over the second half of the season, that’s for certain. The winger might have to wait before he returns to the starting XI, though, given the competition he currently has in the Leeds front line, but Marsch has plenty of options going into Sunday’s game against Brentford.
Jesse Marsch
The FA Cup clash was always going to set the tone going into the Premier League meeting against the Bees at the weekend and it’s fair to say Leeds will approach it with heaps of confidence. A poor performance will result in a sour atmosphere at Elland Road, particularly given supporters could be heard singing ‘Marsch out’ at Villa Park on Friday.
But spirits will be high going into that one now and Marsch will be keen to see his side build on a strong showing to pull away from the relegation zone.
Patrick Bamford
What a difference a goal makes. The striker had gone 13 months without scoring prior to his return to action against his Aston Villa on Friday night, but his effort at Villa Park seems to have reinvigorated him.
The striker only got 45 minutes against the Bluebirds but he was oozing with confidence and he left the field with two goals to show for his efforts. His first was a sumptuous finish, caressing the ball around Alnwick and into the top corner.
His second was a neat finish, too, combining with Joe Gelhardt before poking the ball home. Bamford is well and truly back.
Losers
Max Wober
The defender had a comfortable night as a left-sided centre-back in Leeds’ back line, on what was his full debut for the club. However, his night came to an end prematurely after appearing to take a hefty blow to the hip at the start of the second half.
After receiving some initial treatment, he tried to carry on before hitting the deck a couple of minutes later and signalling that he needed to be replaced. Luke Ayling came on in his place to see out the contest.
It’s a blow for Marsch, who will look to assess the defender in the build-up to Sunday’s clash against Brentford.
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