Leeds United were pushed to their limits by Championship side Birmingham City in the fourth round of the FA Cup, ultimately progressing via a tense penalty shootout.
Sean Longstaff held his nerve to convert the winning spot-kick, sealing the Whites’ place in the next round after a hard-fought contest.
Facing recent criticism, Lucas Perri stepped up under pressure, producing several crucial saves during normal time and in the shootout to prevent a shock at St Andrew’s.
However, several Leeds players were under-par on Sunday, and the club may now hesitate to make any decision on Facundo Buonanotte ahead of the end of the season.
Facundo Buonanotte looked poor in Leeds United’s FA Cup win
Leeds signed the Argentinian attacking midfielder on loan from Brighton in the winter transfer window, and he has yet to make a big impact.
The 21-year-old started in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday at St. Andrew’s and produced a shocking performance in the first half against Championship opposition.
He was so poor that Daniel Farke had to replace him at the break as he sought to get an improved performance from his team in the second half.
Buonanotte has failed his early audition, and he is rapidly running out of time to convince Leeds to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer.
Brighton are likely to demand somewhere around £20m before agreeing to sell the attacking midfielder in the next transfer window.
Buonanotte has shown little to suggest that Leeds should invest such sums in him in the summer, and on Sunday, he was nothing less than shocking.
It is unlikely that Farke will consider starting him in the Premier League any time soon if his performance at St. Andrew’s was an indication of his quality.
Buonanotte lost the ball 10 times in one half
The numbers of his performance against Birmingham on Sunday are shocking and put the Leeds recruitment team under the scanner.
Leeds have been chasing the Argentinian since last summer. However, fans have to wonder what the fuss is all about him, given his performances.
Facundo Buonanotte vs Birmingham – Match Performance Breakdown
A detailed statistical look at Facundo Buonanotte’s performance against Birmingham,
highlighting his ball carrying, dribbling output and overall involvement in possession.
| Match Stats – Buonanotte vs Birmingham | |
|---|---|
| Touches | 30 |
| Unsuccessful Touches | 1 |
| Dribbles (Successful) | 3 (0) |
| Possession Lost | 10 |
| Total Carrying Distance | 96.1 m |
| Carries | 6 |
| Progressive Carries | 1 |
He didn’t score or assist on Sunday and had to be taken off during the break because of how bad he was in the first half.
Buonanotte touched the ball 30 times during the first half. However, he lost the ball 10 times and didn’t complete any of his attempted dribbles.
It was a performance that should pause any thoughts of Leeds paying money to sign him on a permanent deal at the end of the season.
He’s got bags of talent, he’s just rusty!