New Leeds boss Daniel Farke said it was “a scandal” that his team did not take all three points after they were forced to settle for a 2-2 comeback draw against Cardiff.
In their first Championship fixture following three seasons in the top flight, Leeds had to come back from two down at the interval against the Bluebirds.
Crysencio Summerville bagged the leveller the hosts had richly deserved deep into stoppage time.
“To be honest I’m really disappointed in the end,” said Farke.
“When you judge the game in an obvious way, by looking at the statistics, it’s a scandal that we didn’t win the game.
“In the second half in particular, there was only one team playing and chasing for everything.
“It was looking like a power play at times, but we just couldn’t get the second goal we were looking for.
“I just have to praise and compliment the lads, though. They’ve all put in a terrific shift.
“For us to go and equalise in the 95th minute after taking so many things in the neck, well, that just shows the character out there.
“It was a really important point for the confidence and the spirit, and we have to move on to the next game positively.”
Farke also saluted 17-year-old Archie Gray – grandson of Leeds great Frank and great nephew of Eddie – who made a hugely impressive debut at Elland Road.
Farke added: “I’m careful not to praise my young lads too much, but if you promise not to tell Archie what I’m going to say, he was outstanding.
“He wasn’t perfect, but overall, for such a young lad, it was a top-class performance.”
Cardiff led 2-0 at the interval thanks to two of their debutants – Josh Bowler and Ike Ugbo.
However, just four minutes after the restart Liam Cooper’s bullet header halved Leeds’ deficit.
It was Summerville who was the hosts’ hero late on, though, as he pounced with his stoppage-time leveller.
It was tough on new-look Cardiff, who impressed at Elland Road after finishing last term down in 21st place in the second tier.
New boss Erol Bulut was generally encouraged when reflecting on his first game in charge.
“I think the draw was a fair result for us,” said Bulut.
“We managed the pressure in the second half really well, but when you concede a goal just after half-time and then one at 90+5, you’re never going to like it, and I don’t like it.
“We played against a really good Leeds team.
“Individually they are very, very good, and they did put us under a lot of pressure in that second half.
“The atmosphere was great, too, and you expect that at the big games in this division.
“The result, though, with the way it was at one point, we have to be happy.
“I am very positive about the first-half performance, and that’s everything offensively and defensively, but we have to put the bad things away.
“If Joe Ralls hadn’t got injured so early, maybe things would have been different.
“I don’t know about that. Football is like that.
“You can’t say anything about ‘ifs’.
“Today happened, Joe got injured, but we got a point here and that is good.”
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Leeds' belief never wavered as Wembley beckons
Ethan Ampadu said Leeds United's players never let their belief waver despite a poor end to their Championship campaign, with a trip to Wembley now coming up.
Leeds will face either Southampton or West Brom in the play-off final on May 26 after thrashing Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday.
The Whites endured a miserable end to their campaign, losing 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers before going down at home to Southampton on the final day, as Ipswich Town claimed automatic promotion behind Leicester City.
But after their emphatic defeat of the Canaries, who they drew with 0-0 in the first leg, Ampadu claimed Leeds never lost their way.
"Towards the end of the season there was a lot of talk about how we were playing, how we weren't on the front foot, how we weren't aggressive or clinical," he told Sky Sports.
"But we always had our belief that on our day, when we are firing, we can be hard for anyone to play against.
"When the front four, five, six play like that, they make the job of us defenders a lot easier.
"Whoever we play in the final it's going to be a hard game but to go in like this, to put in a performance like this, we can take momentum and confidence into it.
"The fans were second to none and we enjoyed their support – now we are going to prepare for the big one."
Georginio Rutter scored one and set up another in the rout, and he put the onus on Leeds to replicate the same level at Wembley.
"It's incredible. Today we go to Wembley," he said.
"We played a good game. I'm happy, everybody is happy. One more game and we will see.
"We played very good. 4-0 is a clean sheet. Today, we were mature. It's a very good performance from the team.
"I want to try my best and help the team. If we play like this [at the final], we have a good chance but we have to play like this."
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