Galloway pounces to take Leeds all the way
AFTER 180 minutes of football across West Yorkshire and Devon, Leeds United and Plymouth Argyle could not be separated.
Neither of these sides had yet to taste defeat in 2024 and with a trip to Aston Villa or Chelsea in the last 16 on the line, it was all square for just over an hour before Wilfried Gnonto finished wonderfully to give Leeds the lead, before Brendan Galloway equalised with 12 minutes to go of normal time.
This was a game that both of these Championship sides could have done without after a 1-1 draw at Elland Road, yet it was a full house at a wet and windy Home Park.
More than 2,000 Leeds supporters made the 600-mile plus round trip to the South West and for the visitors, this was the second of four long-haul trips in the space of 15 days after winning at Bristol City on Friday night. Next week, they travel to Swansea before returning here to face Argyle in the league. Daniel Farke made five changes from the side who won on Friday, with Patrick Bamford, Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, Ethan Ampadu, and Archie Gray all dropping to the bench. Connor Roberts, who signed on loan from Burnley last week, travelled with the team despite being cup-tied.
Ian Foster, who was Steven Gerrard’s assistant manager at Al Ettifaq before taking the Plymouth job in January, made four changes from the team who beat Swansea with Joe Edwards, Adam Randell, Matty Sorinola and Callum Wright all coming in.
Leeds dominated possession and came closest in the first half, striking the bar twice in the opening 20 minutes. First, Mateo Joseph twisted and turned wonderfully to create an angle and his shot was pushed on to the bar by Conor Hazard, before Joel Piroe’s left-foot strike from outside the box rattled the woodwork.
At the other end, skipper Joe Edwards had an opening inside the box but struck his effort straight at Illan Meslier before Joe Rodon threw his body into the path of Sorinola’s goalbound strike after some lovely work from
Morgan Whittaker. Piroe forced a save from Hazard after the break as Leeds shifted up a gear.
The breakthrough came on 66 minutes after Sam Byram won the ball back in the Plymouth half and Leeds moved the ball wonderfully before Glen Kamara drilled it into the path of Gnonto. The 20-year-old Italy winger took one touch with his left foot before smashing it into the back of the net with his right in front of the Leeds fans.
Farke took Kamara and Gnonto off five minutes later as Leeds looked to see out the game, only for Plymouth to benefit from the dreadful conditions with a setpiece. Whitaker looped a diagonal freekick over to Ashley Phillips on the right of the six-yard box and Phillips squared for Galloway to chest home from a few yards out.
Farke threw on Rutter, Bamford and Summerville in a bid to get a winner in normal time and they nearly won it as Joe Gelhardt’s effort hit the post.
Reprieved, Plymouth could have won it themselves seconds later as Ryan Hardie’s strike was pushed behind for a corner before referee Robert Jones called time.