Leeds United never seem to make life easy for themselves, with the Yorkshire giants incredibly overcoming a two-goal deficit to clinch a stunning 3-2 victory away to Norwich City in the Championship this afternoon, with it proving a happy return to Carrow Road for manager Daniel Farke.
The one-time Canaries boss – who achieved two promotions with the club in the recent past – was likely fearing the worst initially as his new side went in two goals down at the break, although a thrilling second-half turnaround saw the Whites walk away with all three points.
That hard-fought victory has helped to maintain Leeds' place inside the playoff berths, with Farke's men having now won three successive league games, since the defeat away to Southampton at the end of last month.
Who impressed for Leeds vs Norwich?
After an initial sluggish opening, which saw Shane Duffy and Gabriel Sara get on the scoresheet for the hosts, an unfortunate own goal from the former helped to shift the momentum after the break, in what was an enthralling contest in Norfolk.
Despite having looked down and out at the interval, up stepped two-goal hero Crysencio Summerville to steer his side level before netting the game's deciding goal just minutes from time, with that having been just reward for a performance that also saw the Dutchman register six key passes as a marker of his attacking intent.
In truth, that showing from the 21-year-old helped to bail the rest of his teammates out of trouble, with things not clicking into gear for many of those in the away ranks, with Joel Piroe, for instance, having endured 'another difficult afternoon', as per Beren Cross, writing for LeedsLive.
Not only were Leeds initially blunt in an attacking sense, but as the half-time scoreline suggested, the defensive unit also appeared rather porous, with young Archie Gray having looked particularly "jaded" at right-back, as Cross noted on Twitter.
On the other flank, there was also another notable villain in the form of Sam Byram, with the experienced asset certainly not enjoying his Carrow Road homecoming.
How did Sam Byram play against Norwich?
The 30-year-old sealed his return to Elland Road this summer on a free transfer after spending the last four years on the books at Norwich, having since gone on to play a key role under Farke this season, making 11 appearances in all competitions.
The £25k-per-week dud will, however, likely be fearing for his place in the side moving forward following an abject display earlier today, with Cross stating that the one-time West Ham United man was simply "run ragged" in the first half especially.
Those woes were evidenced by the fact that the versatile full-back – who can also operate on the opposite side – won just two duels in total on the day as he failed to win the physical battle, having also been dribbled past once as a marker of his nervy display.
On the ball too, the Englishman was also rather erratic as he lost possession on seven occasions and failed to complete a single cross, with that lack of impact in the final third seeing him make just 45 touches – fewer than teammate Illan Meslier recorded in the sticks (48).
The player with the joint-worst match rating of any starting player for the away side (6.6/10) – as per Sofascore – it was no surprise to see Byram hooked late on as Farke sought to adopt a more attacking approach, with that tactical shift ultimately paying dividends to great effect.
The defender will then be a relieved man that his performance did not cost his side in the end, as he failed to show his former club just what they are missing.
