The alarm bells at Leeds United’ would have been ringing ominously for Jesse Marsch had they lost their FA Cup tie to Cardiff, according to Leon Osman.
Despite staring defeat in the face, the Whites determinedly clawed their way back from 2-0 down in Wales against the Championship outfit to snatch a replay at the death, thanks to the timely goal in stoppage time courtesy of Sonny Perkins.
This makes it Leeds’ seventh game without a win in all competitions, but Osman told BBC Match of the Day that Marsch is hoping to get a reaction from his team after saving himself a lot of questions about his future.
“They looked scared, Leeds, in the first half,” he said. “Yes they made changes, but they were below par today.
“They were winless in six games in all competitions, not won since the 5th of November. So if they would have lost that game then the alarm bells really would have been sounding.
“But you see the fight back, the energy and Rodrigo’s impact on the game, so I’m sure they’ll be hoping they can respond after this.”
The game had actually started really brightly for Leeds but after failing to find the back of the net after sustained pressure, they somehow fell into a lull and that allowed Cardiff to take full advantage.
Although the task was monumental in the second half, Marsch’s team were finally able to pull off a miracle and turn the match around with an impressive comeback.
As for Marsch, numerous question marks are still hovering justifiably above him regarding his suitability for the job. For the moment he has managed to delay the stay of execution although one wonders how long this situation could be allowed to persist as the team need to find the consistency that has clearly been lacking to improve their performance.