Class of 92's club dump Leeds OUT of Carabao Cup - Mail 29/8/23
Salford 1-1 Leeds (9-8 on pens): Class of 92's club dump Leeds OUT of Carabao Cup as the League Two side win a dramatic penalty shootout
Salford City beat Leeds 9-8 in a dramatic penalty shootout
in Carabao Cup win
Matt Smith put Salford in the lead before a Pascal Struijk
levelled the cup tie
By DOMINIC KING
Daniel Farke's body language captured the mood perfectly.
There he was, shuffling from side to side in frustration, grimacing as
questions came in, sighing as he reflected where it all went wrong.
This has been a turbulent and testing introduction to life
as manager of Leeds United and, in Salford’s little stadium, his headache
became bigger: defeat on penalties to a League Two side – wholly avoidable
given the chances that had been squandered – turning up the spotlight.
With Leeds, nothing is ever straightforward. Here, then, was
a contest that characterised the way things go for them, as they climbed off
the canvas a couple of times only to lose to the re-taken twentieth penalty of
a dramatic shootout.
Ossama Ashley converted the crucial kick for Salford, who
have reached the third round of this competition for the first time in their
history, but only after Leeds keeper had saved his first attempt and been
booked for encroachment. Farke, clearly, was fizzing as elimination sank in.
‘We are disappointed we are not in the next round,’ he
hissed. ‘Performance wise, I cannot criticise too much. We had enough chances
to score five goals but we only got one. We hit the crossbar, we hit the post
but when you are five yards out put the ball in the goal!’
Farke went down the tunnel at half-time and after the
shootout wondering why things had to be this way. Really, they should have been
out of sight before Matt Smith, a veteran striker who numbers Leeds among his
eight clubs, opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a fine header.
Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto caused plenty of
alarm with their pace and Summerville was desperately unlucky in the 24th
minute when, after cutting inside, his curling drive thudded against a post
before bouncing to safety.
Georgino Rutter fluffed two chances, Summerville, again, had
a great chance smothered by Salford keeper Alex Cairns, while a thumping drive
from Gnonto caused alarm for fans behind the goal as it crashed off the back of
the stand. His rueful grimace and subsequent gesture of apology said it all.
Leeds threw everything at Salford in the second period and
Struijk got their equaliser while Sam Greenwood, an influential substitute,
almost won it in added time with a free-kick that dipped onto the woodwork.
Salford, though, were tenacious and full of character, and
took their opportunity when Rutter and Jamie Shackleton missed from 12 yards.
Connor McLennan squandered the first chance to put Salford through but Ashley
eventually did.