Leeds United defender's gesture to Cardiff City fans, dive makes waves and curious Marsch decision

It was a proper rescue job and no mistake, Leeds coming from 2-0 down thanks to substitutes who changed the game, leaving Jesse Marsch with an overwhelming pride at his team’s fighting spirit.

What the comeback did not do was wash away the Whites’ problems or the question marks over performances. There were positives and negatives from a dramatic afternoon in Wales.

Good dayMax WoberA difficult game in which to make a debut, 2-0 down to a side Leeds should be beating, but he impressed. The appetite to get stuck in was always going to sit well with the away support but it was the way that he slotted straight in and started barking orders and directing team-mates that caught the eye. The team performance needed leadership and he provided it. He got on the ball and showed attacking endeavour too, trying to have a crack at goal from distance on a number of occasions. His Leeds future won't lie in central midfield, where he played on Sunday, but it was a promising start.Cody DramehAn afternoon of mixed feelings for the right-back, no doubt. He did get on the pitch, but not from the start as he would have wanted. Yet having watched one of the more senior players who sit ahead of him in the pecking order have a shocker, he came on and did well against the club who gave him a chance to shine last season. He, along with Rodrigo, Wober and Sonny Perkins, was a big part of the comeback. It was yet more evidence that Drameh is too good to be playing Under 21s football.RodrigoMissed penalty aside, he showed the power of simple, effective centre forward play. A dart to the near post, in between two defenders, gave him all the space he needed to head in a vital goal and get Leeds back into the match. That's 11 for the season, which in a struggling team is a superb return. He's become a key man for the Whites. Without his finishing ability, where would they be?

Junior Firpo

Much maligned, having struggled to find fitness or form since a move from Barcelona, but he was bright and determined going forward in the second half and was only denied a goal by a spectacular handball in the area. Not only did he force a red card and penalty, he claimed an assist for the equaliser. There were, at times, a faint smattering of boos from a small section of the away end when he got on the ball with Leeds two goals down and although he could never do enough in a single game to rewrite the narrative around him, he certainly didn’t go missing and played a huge part in the comeback.Bad dayPascal StruijkJesse Marsch's decision to hand Struijk the armband was a curious one. The defender is, by his own admission, naturally shy and quiet. A man of few words. Being an introvert is no barrier to playing professional football at the top level, not everyone is a shouter on the pitch, but it's possible that by making Struijk captain it gave him so much more to think about than just his own performance. Whether or not it was a factor in a torrid first half is difficult to say definitively. To Struijk's credit he showed character to keep getting on the ball in the second half but it was another difficult outing for him against Cardiff.Jesse MarschIt was a get-out-of-jail afternoon. The simmering frustration in the away end started to spill over with boos at half-time, showing that even in a three-game unbeaten run, Marsch has been unable to quell the discontent over performances and the style of play. He seems frustrated, too. Struggling to break Cardiff down until Rodrigo came on was not a good look. Leeds did show fighting spirit, which must be credited, but they should never have found themselves 2-0 down to Cardiff.Joe GelhardtIf two words were to sum up the youngster's season it would be fruitless toil. So little has dropped for him, he's played far fewer minutes than we expected him to and when he has got on the pitch he's struggled to find rhythm or make an impact. At Cardiff it was a similar story. He toiled, there was no fruit. Perhaps a loan is what's needed, at Championship level, so he can go and score a few goals and rediscover his joy on the pitch. The risk, of course, is that Leeds are left light up front.

Willy Gnonto

There wasn’t too much wrong with his performance but that first half dive wasn’t good. It’s not something Leeds fans will want to see creeping into his game, not when he’s good enough to draw contact quite naturally with his skill, body position, strength and dynamic movements. He’s very good at earning free-kicks that are genuine free-kicks. The dive earned him a mention on 606’s Simulation Game on BBC Radio Five Live. He’s better than that.Off-camera momentsYou couldn't move for quality left-backs in the press room prior to the game. Ex-Leeds and England man Tony Dorigo had a catch up with fellow Three Lions full-back Stuart Pearce. The pair were on broadcast duties for the FA Cup tie at Cardiff.Jack Harrison welcomed Max Wober to the Leeds pre-game routine, warming up with the new guy. Harrison took Junior Firpo under his wing when the ex-Barcelona man first arrived, too.Marsch was barely able to contain his ire on the touchline as Cardiff took their time thanks to that 2-0 cushion, complaining to the officials, rushing to fetch footballs and hand them to home players for throw-ins. His body language at full-time was very different. There was relief and joy at watching his side rescue the tie and scramble a replay.Drameh took his time to leave the pitch at full-time, making sure to applaud the vast army of away fans before turning to express gratitude to Cardiff supporters. He even threw in an Ayatollah, the traditional Cardiff celebration of raising the hands above one's head and pressing them up and down.