'It's not easy' - Willy Gnonto addresses Leeds United substitute role after crucial Brentford contribution
The Leeds United winger made an impact off the bench for a second Premier League game running at Brentford on Sunday.
Willy Gnonto is happy to have taken his chance off the Leeds United bench for a second consecutive game after producing an assist in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Brentford.
Gnonto was introduced alongside Brenden Aaronson in the 73rd minute of Sunday’s Premier League game at the Gtech Community Stadium, tasked with getting his side back in the game. Leeds had just gone 1-0 against the run of play thanks to Jordan Henderson and looked set for another defeat on the road.
But the Whites rallied, with Gnonto at the heart of a sustained period of momentum which eventually led to an equaliser. The Italian’s cross from the right was inch-perfect, finding Dominic Calvert-Lewin who rose highest to score his fourth goal in as many Premier League games.
Having won a crucial penalty with a darting run against Liverpool in the previous game, Gnonto once again made his mark off the bench. And the 22-year-old insists he must keep it going to earn a starting place in this competitive squad.
"I think it's easier when you play with a striker like Dom,” Gnonto told LUTV of his assist. “You just know that you have to put it in that area and he's going to attack it. I thought it was quite a good ball, but he did a lot of the job, and I'm happy for him.
"It’s not easy. Obviously the team is playing well. I think we have lots of good players and I can say the competition is quite high. But at the same time, I have to try and use all my chances. I think I did it today. I did it against Liverpool and I just have to keep going like this."
Willy Gnonto reflects on good Leeds United point at Brentford
Injury issues have reduced Gnonto to just four Premier League starts this season while a recent change of formation has seen natural wingers benched. But since returning from his latest absence, the Italian winger has looked sharp and now positively impacted two games.
The draw means Leeds now have a three-point cushion on West Ham in 18th place and have improved their dismal away record, with plenty of encouragement to take back up to Elland Road. And while Daniel Farke’s side certainly played well enough to take all three points, Gnonto was happy with his side’s performance at a difficult ground.
"Obviously, we wanted to win,” he added. “We tried to win, but today was difficult. We played lots of long balls and it was kind of like a fight, so we are happy with the point and we move on.
"We know that we can get back into the game even if it's quite late in the game, but I feel like today we showed our character. We didn't make it easy for ourselves, but we got back into the game and we're happy.”