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.”
Al-Nassr 3-1 Al-Khaleej: Ronaldo nets twice and passes up penalty in cup semi-final
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the scoresheet with two goals as Al-Nassr beat Al-Khaleej 3-1 to reach the final of the King Cup of Champions on Wednesday.
Ronaldo scored either side of half-time as Al-Nassr teed up a final clash with Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, who beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the other semi-final on Tuesday.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star took advantage of an error from opposing goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic to open the scoring 17 minutes in, then tapped home at the second attempt to make it a double shortly before the hour mark.
That goal could have made it a hat-trick for the Portugal star, but he passed up the chance to take a first-half penalty after Ivo Rodrigues handled in the area, Sadio Mane instead stepping up to blast his kick into the top corner.
Fawaz Al Terais was on target late on for Al-Khaleej, but that proved a mere consolation in a one-sided affair which saw Al-Nassr rack up 21 shots and 3.78 expected goals (xG), with their opponents managing just nine shots totalling 1.37 xG.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo's mini drought over
Ronaldo was frustrated against Al-Khaleej in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, but he was back on song against the same opponents on Wednesday to end his mini drought of two games.
While Ronaldo's 43 touches were the fewest of any outfielder to start for Al-Nassr, he managed seven shots, five shots from inside the area and four dribbles – all game-high figures.
Coventry City 1-2 Ipswich Town: Burgess puts Tractor Boys on brink of promotion
Ipswich Town took a huge step to Premier League promotion after Cameron Burgess snatched a second-half winner in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Coventry City.
Kieran McKenna's side require just one point from their final Championship game against League One-bound Huddersfield Town to go up, after a decisive victory at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Kieffer Moore blasted in an eighth-minute opener for the visitors after Wes Burns' crafty cutback pass, easing the pressure on Ipswich and dampening the top-two hopes of third-placed Leeds United.
Haji Wright levelled in the second half, only for Burgess to squeeze a winning goal past Bradley Collins five minutes later, putting Ipswich on the brink of top-flight football for the first time since their relegation in 2002.
A draw against Huddersfield, who are 23rd and three points adrift of safety, would secure promotion at Portman Road, marking just the fourth instance of back-to-back promotions in the Premier League era.
Having managed to climb out of League One, McKenna's entertaining side would join Watford, rivals Norwich City and Southampton as the only sides to achieve the feat.
Data Debrief: Ipswich end winless run at perfect time
Prior to this game, only five teams had won fewer points in the Championship than Ipswich's six since the beginning of April (W1 D3 L1).
Yet McKenna's men refused to let their top-flight push derail as the Tractor Boys ended a four-game winless run to move within touching distance of history.
Al Ittihad 1-2 Al Hilal: Holders into King's Cup final
Al Hilal overcame Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's red card as Saud Abdulhamid's late goal sealed a 2-1 victory over Al Ittihad in the King's Cup semi-finals.
Without Karim Benzema, Al Ittihad ultimately lacked the firepower to make their numerical advantage count in Tuesday's clash.
Former Lazio midfielder, who joined Al Hilal as part of their spending spree last year, received a straight red card in the 42nd minute.
Al Ittihad's Abderrazzaq Hamed-Allah cancelled out Micheal's opener, but Abdulhamid popped up with the winner in the 81st minute.
Al Hilal are 10-time King's Cup winners, having won their 10th title last season.
The Saudi Pro League leaders, who are still without the injured Neymar, will now face either Al Khaleej or Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in the final at the end of May.
Data Debrief: Malcom in the middle
Al Hilal might be missing their star Brazilian Neymar, but his compatriot Malcom is delivering when it comes to playmaking.
The former Zenit attacker set up both of Al Hilal's goals, creating three chances in total and registering a pass accuracy of 92.6 per cent, better than any of his team-mates.
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