Ilia Gruev has shared what he asked Leeds United’s assistant manager just moments before he stepped up to score a free-kick in last night’s win over Norwich City.
It was Gruev’s brilliant goal that set Leeds on their way to an incredible 4-0 victory in the Championship play-off semi-final second leg to set up a trip to Wembley on Sunday 26 May.
With such an incredible atmosphere behind them, Leeds started the game like a house on fire and Gruev’s special strike only added to the noise coming from the stands.
Leeds managed to build on their early lead fairly quickly as Joel Piroe – who produced arguably his best display in a white shirt – headed in Willy Gnonto’s cross. Georginio Rutter then ended his barren run of form by smashing in a third just before the break.
Daniel Farke‘s side could’ve had considerably more goals in the second half but were forced to settle for just one more as Crysencio Summerville tapped in a composed cutback from Junior Firpo.
Gruev shares what he was thinking moments before free-kick goal
Leeds had not scored directly from a free-kick since Raphinha‘s strike against Leicester City all the way back in November 2021, a run that spans 921 days.
Attacking set-pieces have been a real struggle of Leeds’ in the last few months and so Gruev breaking that duck could not have come at a better time.
It did look as though it was something that had been worked on in training, as Summerville’s run took one player from the wall away, giving Gruev more space to find the corner.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports post-match, Gruev says he wasn’t even thinking about shooting when he spoke to Leeds’ assistant manager on whether it was an in or out swinger. However, he then saw the positioning of Angus Gunn and went for it.
He said: “It was early in the game and I knew that the goalkeeper sometimes speculates [on a cross] so I thought let’s try and have a shot. It went in and was amazing, my first goal for Leeds.
“It’s nice to score in such an important game, the atmosphere was going off and we are really looking forward to go to Wembley for the last match. I asked our assistant coach if it was an out swinger or an in swinger, but then I saw the ‘keeper and I tried.”
Leeds needed that quick thinking to break set-piece duck
Leeds have wasted so many set-piece opportunities over the last few months and in truth, haven’t really looked like even getting close to scoring one.
Farke’s side haven’t scored from a corner since Pascal Struijk got injured, and so it was always going to take some quick thinking to finally find the net from such a situation.
Gruev really could not have struck the ball any better in the area of the net he tried to find. It was that moment of brilliance Leeds needed to get themselves back on track.