Glat’s the way for Cardiff
BLUEBIRDS ROCK HIGH-FLYING LEEDS WITH A STUNNING COMEBACK:
A10-MAN Cardiff City completed the unlikeliest of comebacks thanks to a dramatic late equaliser from Robert Glatzel to draw 3-3 against Leeds United.
The hosts looked to have run away with it at Elland Road, with a Patrick Bamford double and an early Helder Costa goal putting Marcelo Bielsa’s side 3-0 up.
But if slow starts have become a hallmark of this Neil Harris side, then so has incredible character and resilience.
Lee Tomlin and Sean Morrison cut the deficit to just one goal late on before the Bluebirds skipper was sent off for a reckless challenge on Eddie Nketiah.
It looked like the hosts would see out the game comfortably from then on, but Glatzel had other ideas – and what a way to mark your comeback after seven games out.
It was a disjointed performance and, for large parts, comfortably the worst of Harris’ reign, with the Bluebirds shorn of ideas in attack and helpless against the ferocious and relentless Leeds counter.
There was a morsel of mitigation, of course. This Leeds side were incredible. They had won their previous seven games and Bielsa was very nearly celebrating an eighth.
But what a remarkable comeback and massive credit has to go to the Bluebirds players.
Early on, Cardiff looked disorganised, uncomfortable in their shape and did not know how to cope with the devastating speed of the Leeds counter attack.
Joe Ralls was being toyed with in the unfamiliar position of the left wing, Will Vaulks and Marlon Pack were dominated by the slick Leeds midfield and the defence was bom
barded with a series of breathtaking breakaways.
Harris had demanded a response from his players following their midweek defeat over Brentford, but, as is becoming a worrying trait of late, they started so, so poorly.
A Cardiff corner was cleared to Pablo Hernandez on the right-hand side and his incredible 50-yard, diagonal ball was inch perfect into the path of the charging Costa.
Costa took a touch and was as clinical as ever as he side-footed neatly past Etheridge with just six minutes on the clock.
Perhaps, then, it was time for City to consolidate, shore up and keep it tight, but Leeds soon had other ideas.
Just two minutes later, Stuart Dallas lofted a perfectly-weighted ball into Bamford and Aden Flint woefully misjudged the ball’s flight and allowed the striker to take a touch and finish emphatically from close range.
City were down on the canvas and the referee was beginning his 10-count and only eight minutes had been played.
But if Harris was looking for a response, it didn’t come. Leeds were brilliant, spellbinding. They lay siege to the Bluebirds’ box and they were penned in.
Were it not for last-ditch blocks from Lee Peltier and Morrison, it could conceivably have been four or five going into the break.
Cardiff started the second half poorly and Leeds had been jabbing at them in the first half, then Bamford converting from the penalty spot was the uppercut.
Etheridge clumsily hauled down the striker before he slotted home to make it 3-0 and, seemingly, with no way back.
But if one man was going to ignite the spark it was Tomlin and it was he who capitalised on some lax goalkeeping from Kiko Casilla to lift brilliantly from a tight angle into the far corner to get City on the board.
Then, against the run of play again, it was Morrison who came up trumps, heading home a tremendous ball in from Joe Bennett.
Remarkably, the comeback was on.
But the captain’s sending-off looked to have spelled the end for the Bluebirds until Glatzel, against all odds, latched on to the end of a hopeful ball to touch home past the onrushing Casilla.
Elland Road fell silent, apart from a core of travelling Cardiff City supporters who were sent into hysteria in the 88th minute.
Incredible, simply incredible.