Leeds United booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a routine 3-1 win over Derby County at Pride Park over the weekend.
Despite many supporters pleading for Daniel Farke to essentially play the kids and wrap all the senior members of his squad in cotton wool, the German did nearly the exact opposite.
Regular starters like Ethan Ampadu and Jaka Bijol kept their place in the starting XI, whilst players on the fringes of the squad like Joel Piroe and Sebastiaan Bornauw were given more valuable minutes.
Another player who has handed a rare start against Derby was Willy Gnonto, with the Italian even managing to get himself on the scoresheet.
Willy Gnonto makes bold FA Cup claim
The win against Derby was made all the more satisfying for Leeds when Robbie Savage was forced to eat his words live on TV whilst he was on punditry duties during the game.
After initially going a goal down, Gnonto’s superb finish got United back into the game just ten minutes after the restart.
It was the 22-year-old’s first start for Leeds since their trip to the Etihad back in November, but his performance against Derby will certainly have put him back to the forefront of Farke’s mind when it comes to future team selections.
Speaking after the game on TNT Sports, Gnonto made a bold claim regarding Leeds and the FA Cup.
“Obviously, we know the FA Cup is always special, we want to dream, we want to take our chances game by game, and hopefully we’re going to do something big.”
With the gap between Leeds and the relegation zone sitting at eight points, perhaps some sections of the Leeds fanbase will begin to share Gnonto’s dream of going deep in the FA Cup, potentially causing a few upsets on the way.
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Data suggest Willy Gnonto was fantastic against Derby
As well as his emphatic finish, Gnonto had a well-rounded display down that right flank, and although Farke’s new three-at-the-back system may not allow for wingers like Gnonto to naturally fit in it seamlessly, his performance against Derby was a reminder that Leeds have a real game-changer available on their bench.
Willy Gnonto – Match Stats vs Derby County:
| Stat | Stat Value |
|---|---|
| Goals | 1 |
| Shots | 2 |
| Key Passes | 3 |
| Recoveries | 6 |
| Duels Won | 5 |
| Accurate Passes | 41/46 (89%) |
With Noah Okafor still struggling when it comes to delivering end product in terms of goals and assists, Farke may now opt to deploy Gnonto more moving forward.
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