Our weekend win at Elland Road hinged on some key moments and good decisions at the right times.
The game’s sole goal, when it came, was a combination of brilliance… Joey van den Berg feinting to shoot and instead slotting through to former Whites winger Mo Barrow – who slammed past the goalkeeper in the blink of an eye.
And in stoppage-time, Vito Mannone called upon preparation and his own nerves to ensure that Pablo Hernandez’s penalty was kept at bay.
The gaffer talked about those key moments…
“It’s a great decision from Joey,” said Jaap Stam. “You know when he goes forward that he has vision – he knows where players are and where they run. The weight of the pass was very good so that Mo could finish it.
“And with Mo’s pace, and with the quality that he has, if he goes in there and gets rights in front of goal then a lot of times he will score. That’s what he did against Leeds – he came on and was very important for the team.
“Dave Beasant does a lot of work with the goalkeepers and on the penalty-takers from the opposition and what they have been doing. There’s a pressure on that penalty – if you’re a goal down, the player that takes it needs to score if you want to get something from the game.
“As a goalie, you have to keep your cool and not go to a corner too quick – and you give yourself a chance to save it. And Vito did that very well.”
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