Leeds United kicked off their 2023/24 Championship campaign in exciting fashion as they snatched a 2-2 draw against Cardiff City at Elland Road.
Who scored in Leeds' defeat to Cardiff?
Nottingham Forest loanee Josh Bowler kicked off the scoring in the match after 23 minutes. The ball dropped kindly for Ike Ugbo within the box and the towering striker was able to tee up his winger to slot the ball into the bottom corner from around 12 yards.
Cardiff's provider then turned into a scorer as their number nine was the quickest to react to a deflected strike from Aaron Ramsey to bundle the ball into the back of the net from close range in the 39th minute.
Captain Liam Cooper pulled one back shortly after the start of the second half. Crysencio Summerville whipped in an exceptional corner onto the head of the Whites skipper, whose header into the back of the net was his last contribution to the match as he, unfortunately, injured his knee in the process.
They found their equaliser in stoppage time as Summerville reacted to a loose ball in the box and found the bottom corner with a crisp strike.
How good was Ethan Ampadu against Cardiff?
Whilst Leeds' Dutch magician may steal the headlines with his two goal contributions to snatch a draw for the club, the real first hero of the Daniel Farke era was central midfielder Ethan Ampadu.
Despite only being 22 himself, the Wales international was the most senior player in the middle of the park with 17-year-old Archie Gray beside him and 21-year-old Summerville playing in a number ten role.
He took on that responsibility and was able to shine with superb play on and off the ball to play a huge role in the team's domination of the match, as they ended the game with 72% possession.
Defensively, Ampadu was almost faultless in midfield.
As per Sofascore, the summer signing from Chelsea won seven of his nine (78%) individual duels and completed four tackles, whilst he also made two blocks to prevent Illan Meslier from being worked, which led to reporter Beren Cross bestowing him with "rock solid" praise.
Meanwhile, Gray lost six of his eight battles and Summerville lost eight of his 11 50/50s, whilst they both failed to make a single tackle, as per Sofascore. This shows that their midfield teammate stepped up to win the defensive contests to make up for the talented duo's lack of physicality that area of the pitch.
On the ball, the 6-foot battler used his quality to keep things ticking over with a pass completion rate of 89% and created two chances for his teammates, which shows that the imposing ace was incisive as well as efficient with his passing.
The £37k-per-week star also played a role in the stoppage time equaliser as the 22-year-old gem managed to retain possession amid pressure from several Cardiff defenders to find Luis Sinisterra on the edge of the box, whose effort then fell for Summerville to score.
On top of that, a YouTube video by EuropeanFootballScout shows all his best moments during the game, as he displays plenty of quality throughout.
Therefore, Ampadu is the first hero of Farke's reign as he influenced the match at both ends of the pitch and stepped up in the face of adversity to be a standout performer.