What Leeds United players said at half-time vs Derby County as Willy Gnonto lifts dressing room lid
Leeds United were a goal down to Derby County before a second-half comeback saw them claim FA Cup victory.
Willy Gnonto and his Leeds United teammates knew an FA Cup trip to Derby County would be ‘tough’ but were determined to keep going after entering half-time 1-0 down.
Leeds fell behind to an avoidable Ben Brereton Diaz opener on 35 minutes, with Sebastiaan Bornauw punished for a poor clearance and Gnonto unable to react quick enough. The pair had just seen teammate Joel Piroe’s penalty well-saved by Jacob Zetterstrom in a first-half that felt all too familiar when it comes to cup competition.
But despite their going behind and Derby’s physical approach, Leeds rallied to level 10 minutes after the break, Gnonto harnessing the frustration of a few recent fouls to rifle home a brilliant finish. The Italian had Piroe to thank, his lovely dummy catching the Derby defenders out.
Ao Tanaka made it 2-1 with a close-range finish shortly after and James Justin ended the contest with a counter-attacking goal in added-time. Leeds deserved the win after a dominant and professional second-half performance with Gnonto among those to cope well with their hosts’ aggressiveness.
"I am really pleased,” the Whites winger told TNT Sports after the victory. “We knew it was going to be tough coming here. I am happy with the win and happy with my performance. I think it's a good reminder of what the Championship can be. It was tough.
"I am happy for the finish. We train every day and it was a result of what we work on. I am confident in the position. We had a slow start and we worked our way into the game. We said [at half-time] to ourselves that we had to keep going."
Leeds will now watch the FA Cup fourth round draw to see their next opponent. Quizzed on whether his side can go far in the competition following the win, Gnonto added: "We want to dream and take our chances game by game, so hopefully we are going for something big."