Willy Gnonto at centre of ‘Terrible’ moment in Leeds United 0-2 Millwall
Leeds United suffered defeat against Millwall in the FA Cup at Elland Road, with Willy Gnonto at the centre of attention in the first half.
Given the number of changes made by Leeds United for the tie with Millwall, the priority is evidently on the Championship, with promotion the main goal.
An FA Cup run is something that all clubs would enjoy, given the financial opportunities as well as the chance to carry on the momentum gained from the league form, but the Whites will not be afforded that chance after their exit.
Many often see a cup run as a distraction, especially for those with a greater goal in mind, with Leeds now primarily focused on what they can achieve in the Championship.
Either way, Daniel Farke will need to see far more from the players on the fringes of the first team after what was a poor performance against the Lions.
Willy Gnonto centre of attention v Millwall
Aside from the visitors taking the lead through Femi Azeez, Chris Iwelumo was left stunned by a different moment in the first half.
Gnonto was in possession of the ball when Casper De Norre left a nasty one on the Italian, going unpunished for the large part but certainly unsettling Iwelumo.
“That’s a terrible challenge. Gnonto was protecting the ball,” said Iwelumo via talkSPORT (8 February, 12:40pm).
Leeds United now have promotion in sight
Simply put, the focus has to be on achieving promotion for Leeds and they can’t afford to let anything get in the way of that ambition.
After the disappointment of falling at the last hurdle last campaign, an inability to achieve promotion this time round would be seen as a massive missed opportunity and given the position they find themselves in currently, consistency will prove to be key.
Despite this weekend’s fixture being an FA Cup clash, Leeds will remain at the summit of the Championship regardless of what goes on around them, although they will be hoping for a small favour from a handful of clubs.
In the best-case scenario, Leeds will maintain their five-point advantage at the top of the table, albeit with some challenging fixtures approaching.
Farke’s side still have a trio of fixtures to play against Sunderland, Sheffield United and West Brom, all three of those fixtures potentially having a huge impact on the promotion race.