Leeds United came from behind to record an impressive 2-2 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with substitutions making a key difference.
Chelsea were leading 2-0 after Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer put them ahead.
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Daniel Farke needed inspiration from his bench to grind out a result. He sent on Noah Okafor, who scored and brought on Daniel James, who stretched the game. He used all five substitutes, emptying his bench in search of a point that felt like a win.
One player never moved. Fully fit, fully available, but entirely unused.
Facundo Buonanotte remained an unused sub against Chelsea
Facundo Buonanotte joined Leeds United in January on a deal that required cutting short his loan at Chelsea.
The logic seemed straightforward to acquire more game time and a chance to contribute in the relegation battle for the Yorkshire club. At Stamford Bridge, he was behind a host of stars. At Leeds, surely, there would be opportunities, but Tuesday’s game told a different story.
Buonanotte sat on the bench for 94 minutes and never got up. This was not an isolated incident either. Against Nottingham Forest last week, he was left out of the squad entirely as a “technical decision,” despite being fully fit. With Daniel James and Lukas Nmecha returning from injury, there was simply no room for the Argentine to play any part.
After leaving Stamford Bridge for more regular gametime, Buonanotte found himself back in West London on the bench, but this time, for a completley different club, with the playmaker surely already questioning his long-term future at Elland Road.
READ MORE:Leeds United handed huge relegation boost amid sensational Nottingham Forest developments – The Leeds Press
Stats suggest Facundo Buonanotte has contributed little at Leeds so far
Opportunities have been few and far between for Buonanotte since arriving from Brighton on loan.
The youngster has played just 19 minutes in total in the Premier League for Leeds
In his last cameo appearance against Arsenal, Buonanotte was extremely sloppy on the ball, completing just two of the five passes he attempted
Unsurprisingly, he is yet to register a goal contribution at United during the little gametime he has been afforded (Sofascore)
With Leeds’ next fixture being against Birmingham in the FA Cup, this could be a make-or-break opportunity for Buonanotte to prove he should be getting more minutes.
However, if he fails to impress, then he may find himself left out of more matchday squads between now and the end of the season.
READ MORE:Leeds United handed huge relegation boost amid sensational Nottingham Forest developments – The Leeds Press