Leeds United produced a confident display to beat Norwich City 3-0 at Elland Road in the FA Cup fifth round, sealing their place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2003.
Sean Longstaff, back in the starting line-up, opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, while Gabriel Gudmundsson added a second just before half-time to give the hosts a strong grip on the game.
Leeds remained comfortable after the interval, keeping Norwich largely at bay, and Joel Piroe put the finishing touch on the performance with his first goal of the season to complete an emphatic 3-0 win.
It was a chance for Farke to test some of his squad players against an in-form Championship side. However, one of them only lasted 45 minutes at Elland Road on Sunday.
Sebastiaan Bornauw explains getting hooked at the break
Bornauw has been a bit-part player at Leeds this season, making just four Premier League starts. However, he has been a regular in the cup games.
He unsurprisingly started in the win over Norwich City, but the defender was replaced at the break as Leeds romped to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
The Leeds centre-back is pleased to play a part in helping the team reach the final eight of the FA Cup for the first time in more than 20 years.
He revealed that he was struggling with an illness in the last few days, which may have played a part in him getting hooked after just 45 minutes at Elland Road.
The defender posted on Instagram: “Quarter-finals bound.
“Proud of the lads & massive thanks to the fans for the unreal energy. Gave everything in the first half despite not feeling 100% the last few days.”
Does he have a future at Leeds?
Bornauw has been a useful squad player for Leeds once they shifted to a back three towards the end of last year, which got him more minutes.
However, he is not a starting eleven defender and is firmly down the pecking order of centre-backs in the Leeds squad.
The centre-back has also had a few niggling injuries since he joined the club last summer, which has not helped his cause to get more minutes.
Sebastiaan Bornauw – Leeds United Performance Stats| Competition | Matches | Minutes Played |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 9 | 308 |
| FA Cup | 3 | 180 |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 90 |
| Total | 13 | 578 |
Leeds are almost certain to add one more centre-back to their squad in the summer if they can secure Premier League football for one more season.
Bornauw is not seen as anything more than a squad player and will fall further down the pecking order if Leeds sign a defender in the next window.
His future at Leeds will depend on whether he is ready to continue in a reduced squad role next season.
