Leeds United FA Cup hero on penalty preparation, Farke taker selection and Wembley chances
A rare Leeds United penalty taker has reflected on the dramatic FA Cup quarter-final victory against West Ham and his team’s chances of going all the way.
Willy Gnonto and Leeds United were indebted to an impromptu penalty practice session with Illan Meslier the day before a dramatic shootout win over West Ham United in the FA Cup.
Gnonto is not one of Leeds' primary takers when it comes to penalties. That duty falls to Dominic Calvert-Lewin when he's on the pitch, with Lukas Nmecha deputising when the number 9 isn't playing.
Joel Piroe was the designated taker before the arrival of the two summer signings - though the Suriname international has now missed from 12 yards against Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and West Ham this season - and for a time it was Pascal Struijk.
Gnonto has never been shy about stepping up. He's taken penalties for clubs and countries at youth level and both scored and missed for previous outfit FC Zurich.
Making the walk from the halfway line with an FA Cup semi-final beckoning, as 9,000 travelling Leeds fans held their collective breath, is something different, but Gnonto had a good feeling. Not only had he been drilling them a day prior, his manager Daniel Farke picked him specifically among the first five takers.
“I just went with confidence, and I did it”
"Obviously, you have to be confident," he said, speaking at the opening of ex team-mate Stuart Dallas' new Optimum Padel centre in Cross Green.
"I felt like I was going to score. It's good that the coach trusted me as well, so I just knew I was going to score. I just went with confidence, and I did it. No [I didn't have to volunteer] he told us who was going to shoot. I don't know if he asked other people if they felt confident but I didn't really speak to him [about it].
“I knew I was going to shoot anyway and I was quite confident. I feel like we have a couple of takers in the team and I would say they practice probably more than I have done before the game. I have to say the day before, actually, I practiced with Illan and I scored a couple. I wouldn't say I had a feeling, but thank God I practiced."
After Gnonto found the net with an emphatic finish past rookie hammers keeper Fin Herrick, Lucas Perri produced his second save of the shootout to deny Pablo and left Struijk with the job of putting Leeds in the semi-final.
“One of the most important moments since I played for Leeds”
The Dutchman duly obliged with a penalty so precise that it pinged off the inside of the right hand post. Gnonto's confidence in his 'relaxed' team-mate gave way to wild celebrations both on and off the pitch.
The Italian declared: "I think probably this was one of the most important moments since I played for Leeds, just because obviously the FA Cup is special, and I think at the start, it wasn't realistic they were going to be in the semi-final, but we always had confidence. We focus on every game, and I feel like now we are pretty close, so we fancy our chances really."
Coming up big in the shootout was one of few moments of individual glory for Gnonto this season, with opportunities at a premium.
The 22-year-old has started just four Premier League games and has only just surpassed the 700 minute mark of gametime in all competitions. His hope is that he can play a key part in the final seven games of the relegation dog fight and the FA Cup, but admits the most important thing is not who plays but that Leeds achieve their primary goal of staying in the league.
"I would say disappointing on a personal level," he said. "I always have high expectations for myself, but obviously, I wanted to play more. I wanted to help the team more, and I feel like it wasn't really possible. But we have seven, eight games left, and I want to just try and help the team as much as I can, and hopefully be on the pitch as much as I can, too.
"I think everyone can [play a big role], we don't have too many games left, everyone is in a pretty good position. Everyone is fit, well most of the team is fit, and whoever gets a chance has to go and help the team. It's not about whoever does it, but we feel like everyone is ready, and we are fully confident that we can do it."