Leeds United progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup over the weekend as they convincingly defeated Derby 3-1 at Pride Park.
Derby manager John Eustace was forced to recognise the gulf in class between the two sides after the defeat, as Daniel Farke took no chances during the game and fielded a relatively strong starting XI.
Not every Leeds player impressed the more than 5,000 travelling supporters, however, with Noah Okafor being the subject of harsh criticism from Leeds supporters after the game.
Willy Gnonto was one of the players who did impress upon their reintroduction to the starting lineup, and it was the Italian who was involved in an off-camera war of words, according to Elland Road insider Graham Smyth.
Graham Smyth pulls curtain back on unseen Willy Gnonto moment vs Derby
Alongside Gnonto, James Justin was another player who impressed against Derby, with Jermaine Beckford praising the full-back for deputising well in the absence of Jayden Bogle.
Aside from Gnonto’s spectacular performance, it was a heated, off-camera moment from the 22-year-old which caught the eye of Smyth, who was in attendance at the game.
“Lewis Travis and Willy Gnonto having a war of words after the Derby man was pinged for a body check on the winger. On and on it went,” said Smyth when analysing the game for the Yorkshire Evening Post.
In the end, it was Gnonto who had the last laugh as Travis and Co. were dumped out of the competition, partly due to Gnonto’s fabulous strike that levelled proceedings.
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Willy Gnonto could be in line for more gametime
Whether it’s as a starter, or Farke decides to send him on earlier from the bench, the data suggests Gnonto should be in line for gametime.
Although United rarely play with wingers these days, this has not stopped Farke from deploying Okafor next to Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a sort of second striker and winger hybrid role.
There’s no reason why Gnonto himself could not feature in this role, with the Italian inverting off the left, allowing Gabriel Gudmundsson to frequently overlap from left-wing back.
Willy Gnonto – Recent Match Appearances
| Match | Minutes | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Derby County | 86 | 1 goal |
| Manchester United | 10 | 5 accurate passes |
| Sunderland | 9 | 2 defensive contributions |
| Crystal Palace | 13 | 1 shot |
| Brentford | 17 | 1 assist |
| Liverpool | 25 | Won a penalty |
Despite being used sparingly as of late, Gnonto is still frequently having an impact in matches, whilst Okafor, on the other hand, is on a run of 14 consecutive appearances without a goal or an assist, whilst playing far more minutes than Gnonto.
It is clear Farke favours Okafor, and with the recent run of results, this choice cannot be questioned; however, it is clear that the German should be handing Gnonto far more minutes off the bench than he has been given recently.
