'Divine', 'Amazing' – Iain Dowie gushes over one Leeds player as Cardiff snatch unlikely draw

'Divine', 'Amazing' – Iain Dowie gushes over one Leeds player as Cardiff snatch unlikely draw

David Woods

Dave is a huge Leeds fan and ardent disciple of Bielsa ball. A career in print magazines that included editing PC Zone, launching PokerPlayer and redesigning The Big Issue has finally led Dave to writing about the love of his life, Leeds United. It’s been a tough 2020 but the single scariest moment was the first quarter of the game against Man City. Rodrigo will be the saviour this season.

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Leeds United should have taken a stranglehold on promotion at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon and made it eight wins in a row.

A goal from Helder Costa and two from Patrick Bamford were not enough though after Cardiff scored three in the last 30 minutes to leave the Leeds fans reeling.

Costa and Bamford got the bulk of the praise from fans when things were going well. They were both brilliant and when Bamford went off Leeds suddenly looked shaky.

In fact, that's an understatement. Leeds capitulated and Marcelo Bielsa made a mistake when he took Gaetano Berardi off and introduced Pascal Struijk in the 84th minute.

Perhaps the thinking was that Cardiff would start pumping lots of high balls in. As it is, it was a neat flick that cut the Leeds defence open and Struijk was to blame.

However, there were other positives this afternoon.

One player that often flies under the radar is Stuart Dallas and he was singled out for praise by Sky Sports pundit Ian Dowie.

Dallas has played every single league game this season, in multiple different positions, and he was involved in the second and third goals for Leeds on Saturday afternoon.

Dowie praised him on the live coverage on Sky Sports (Saturday, 3pm), starting with the first goal for Bamford.

"Hernandez on the right-hand side," said Dowie, "crosses the ball to the back post where it goes to Harrison. Harrison into Dallas, he dinks the most divine ball into the box, it drifts over the back of Aden Flint, chested down by Bamford and rocket into the roof of the net with a volley."

He was even more effusive about Leeds when they were awarded a penalty in the 52nd minute.

"They've been absolutely sensational. Brilliant break from Stuart Dallas, amazing run, 40-yard ball out to Mateusz Klich, lovely ball inside. I don't think it's a penalty but it's been given. Bamford sends the keeper the wrong way and it's game over."

It should have been game over. Unfortunately, Cardiff staged one of the most unlikely comebacks we've seen and snatched a point in the 88th minute.

Leeds are still in a great position – 11 points clear from third-placed Preston. But this was painful.

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