Leeds United seized their opportunity to move to the top of the Championship table with a dramatic 4-3 win over Swansea in Wales on Sunday.
The Whites found themselves 1-0 and 2-1 down in the first-half and had to battle back to go 3-2 in front in the second 45, before Swansea pegged them back in the 90th minute
Substitute Wilfried Gnonto then scored the winner in stoppage time to move the West Yorkshire outfit top on goal difference, ahead of Sunderland and Sheffield United.
It was an incredibly exciting game to watch for the neutrals, but one that may have tested the nerves of even the coolest Leeds supporters, until the final whistle blew.
Wilfried Gnonto's late heroics
Manor Solomon, despite heading into the match without a goal for Leeds, was selected to start ahead of Gnonto on the left flank for the trip to Wales.
That decision turned out to be an astute one from Farke as the Tottenham Hotspur loanee scored two of the side’s first three goals, both being tidy finishes from close range.
Gnonto, therefore, had to bide his time to make an impact on the game. The Italian forward came off the bench with 15 minutes left to play and ultimately had the most important touch, with his strike securing all three points.
However, he was not the true hero of the afternoon for Daniel Farke’s side. It was, instead, Ao Tanaka who deserves the bulk of the applause for his superb showing in midfield.
Ao Tanaka's performance against Swansea
The Japan international continued his impressive start to life at Elland Road with a terrific, well-rounded, display in the middle of the park for the Whites.
His use of the ball was fairly reliable in midfield, with a pass completion rate of 86% and a dribble success rate of 100%. This shows that he kept hold of the ball well and that Swansea’s midfielders and defenders struggled to get possession back off him.
The former Fortuna Dusseldorf star was a monster out of possession. Tanaka, who was handed a 7/10 rating by LeedsLive for his ‘important’ challenges, ended the game with six tackles won and two interceptions made, along with 11 duels won, as he constantly broke up opposition attacks.
Pass accuracy
88%
86%
Dribbles completed
1/3
2/2
Duels won
3/5
11/16
Tackles
0
6
Interceptions
0
2
As you can see in the table above, Tanaka outperformed his midfield partner, Joe Rothwell, with eight more duels won and eight more tackles and interceptions made.
The right-footed metronome offered quality in and out of possession throughout the game to stand out as the key man for Farke, in an impressive win – despite the goals conceded.
He also played a vital role in the winner from Gnonto. His burst down the left and pass inside to Dan James allowed the Welshman to tee the Italian up for the winning goal.
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Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu may start to sweat over their places in the team when they eventually return from their respective injuries if Tanaka continues to perform to this level.