'To my deathbed' - Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch on win and magical Elland Road moment - YEP 13/3/22
Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch will take the memory of Joe Gelhardt's late Elland Road winner against Norwich City to his deathbed.
By Graham Smyth
Marsch watched his men produce a vastly-improved display
than the one that led to a 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa on Thursday, at home to
the league's bottom side, and Leeds were well worth the three points.
But it took incredible drama to seal a first win in nine
outings, one that snapped a six-game losing streak.
Leeds led from the 14th minute, Rodrigo opening the scoring
with a goal Norwich City disputed due to Patrick Bamford's offside position.
VAR Mike Dean deduced that Bamford, who got his first start since September,
was not interfering with play however and allowed it to stand.
Dean was involved throughout, checking a Luke Ayling tackle
that could easily have earned him a red card instead of the yellow he received,
and then recommending referee Stuart Attwell take a look at his penalty
decision for Ayling's challenge on Milot Rashica. Attwell duly awarded Leeds a
free-kick. But the Canaries weren't to be denied an equaliser and found it a
minute into stoppage time, Kenny McClean silencing Elland Road.
Marsh responded by sending Joe Gelhardt onto the pitch and
the teenager provided the necessary heroics, tucking home Raphinha's cross to
send Elland Road into raptures.
"I feel like I played 96 minutes," said Marsch.
"There's a lot of emotion in the late stages of the
match. I heard a lot about the magic of Elland Road, it was certainly an
incredible experience. They asked me before will I remember this in two weeks.
I said on my deathbed. The last moments of the game you really feel the energy.
Throughout the game, the difference between Villa and this was we performed
with confidence and aggression and quality and it brought the crowd into the
game and gave them something to root for and be attached to.
Late drama at Elland Road as young Joe Gelhardt boosts Leeds' survival hopes #LUFChttps://t.co/BdHoma8Rwj
— Leeds United News (@LeedsUnitedYEP) March 13, 2022
"Jacko [Mark Jackson] said before the game when people
come to Elland Road, they know they’ll see a fight, a team that pours their
heart and soul into the match. We wanted to make sure after Villa that we did
that in a better fashion to represent the club and community. That we
showed."
The win restored a four-point cushion between Leeds and the
relegation zone and while Marsch was delighted with the result, the strength of
the performance was what he will focus on.
"The three points are incredibly valuable," he
said.
"Regardless of the result, the performance was strong.
The ideas and tactics of how to play together were much better than both of the
last games, certainly better than Villa, even better than Leicester. It’s a big
step forward - not just points but clarity on the pitch tactically.
"It’s certainly momentum, positive, a big moment and
big points. The performances and the group clarity for the football that we
wanted to play. So much work still to do. Every moment, little tactical
positioning and ideas and connections that can and need to be better. It’s a
step in the right direction, we’ll use it positively to help us move
forward."
Marsch reintroduced Bamford to the team but gave him just 45
minutes in a pre-planned swap. He also took Rodrigo off after an hour as a
precautionary measure due to tightness in the Spaniard's quad.
"Very happy with Patrick, impactful 45 minutes,"
said Marsch.
"I’m satisfied that’s all we needed, from him, 60 was
too much. It was clearly enough at half-time. Rodrigo and I got to know each
other well in the last few days, talked a lot about vision for him, in the
team, how to help, how to believe in the transition. He’s a good young man, a
quality player - not just the goal but how he played.
"Patrick I would guess is fine. Rodrigo, we’ll have to
see. He has tightness in his quad, not an injury, we’ll see how he recovers
over the next few days.
