Ian Poveda has described his Leeds United debut as a bittersweet moment, with Marcelo Bielsa handing the winger a chance from the bench in the side’s 2-0 defeat at Cardiff City on Sunday.  

Leeds went to Cardiff on Sunday looking to move three points clear at the top of the Championship table. However, they were met by a resilient Bluebirds side, whose smash and grab performance picked up the points.

The goals came from Junior Hoilett and Robert Glatzel, with Leeds struggling to find their gear in the final third, despite spades of possession.

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There was one positive, though, through substitute Poveda, who looked sharp on his debut for the club.

And, in response to that landmark for Leeds, Poveda has taken to Twitter to issue the following message:

Defeat in the Welsh capital has left Leeds second in the table, level on 71 points with West Bromwich Albion.

There remains a significant seven-point gap between Leeds and Fulham, who sit third, with that pair set to go up against each other at Elland Road this coming Saturday.

Poveda will be searching for more first-team minutes.

The Verdict  

Poveda looked sharp off the bench for Leeds on Saturday and, on the back of a disappointing result, he was definitely a positive.

He’s a young man still finding his way, but he’s clearly making progress under Bielsa and is earning the 64-year-old’s trust as he moves forward with the club.

There’s a big eight games ahead of Leeds and Poveda could have the chance to really impact the Championship’s promotion race after this period of adapting.

Thoughts? Let us know!