Leeds United defeated Cardiff City 2-0 on Saturday afternoon to pick up three points against the bottom-place team in the Championship.

Joel Bagan’s sending off after 23 minutes for a foul on Willy Gnonto on the edge of the box, which the referee deemed to have prevented a goalscoring opportunity, made it harder for the Bluebirds to secure much-needed points for Erol Bulut, given the visitors were already leading.

After just seven minutes, Mateo Joseph’s brilliant flick was finished calmly by Largie Ramazani to put Leeds ahead. If not for Cardiff custodian Jak Alnwick, the away team might have been out of sight before halftime.

Pascal Struijk’s poorly-hit penalty was saved by Alnwick after the break, as Leeds was unable to find a way through to secure the victory. But Joel Piroe, a replacement, scored a well-taken goal after Brenden Aaronson’s through-ball into the channel to ultimately seal the victory.

Before Piroe’s late dagger, Leeds had had other opportunities, but neither Ramazani nor Aaronson grabbed them, so many were concerned that a ten-man Cardiff team would not be able to steal anything until the very end. They return to the postseason with the victory.

Here, we examine three lessons that have been discovered since the victory in South Wales.

1Jayden Bogle’s attacking contribution could be vital for Leeds

Jayden Bogle was one of Leeds’ greatest players and their largest outlets in the game, even if he wasn’t constantly located along the right-hand channel. Although Leeds has not seen as much of Bogle’s offensive potential in recent games, his attacking impact was at its peak in Cardiff.

Bogle has generated 1.5 xA (anticipated assists) worth of opportunities this season, according to FBref. Significantly, 0.8 of that total occurred against Portsmouth, while 0.6 occurred against Cardiff — his two best performances in terms of creativity. He’s one of Leeds’ most valuable assets when they can spread the pitch and generate real production in the last third of the game when they can dominate their opponent.

He had plenty of opportunities to use the switch ball, and it was a great shame that Aaronson’s attempt to miss the net denied him his first assist of the season. Nonetheless, Bogle received backlash for a handful of his recent performances, so the performance was crucial. The Leeds supporters would prefer to see more of this aspect of his game rather than him playing too deep and participating in less aggressive action.

2Leeds’ midfield balance against low block teams

Of course, Ramazani’s contribution is too important to ignore completely. With his pace and directness from the left, the winger looked magnificent as he entered the game. He demonstrated why Leeds spent a lot of money on him in the summer by scoring and having a chance to score another. That brought attention to how strong and deep the line of three behind Joseph is.

For Farke, though, getting the ball to them appears to be the main problem. The pivot players for Leeds, Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu, were not always aggressive enough to shut out Cardiff 1-0. Leeds still has trouble breaking down pressure-absorbing teams, so the Whites wanted a player who could pick up the pace and find space forward to break lines.

Late in the game, Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell both provided more in the way of ball progression. Despite entering the game in the ninetieth minute, the latter completed 25 passes, nine more than any other Cardiff player during the game. In the long run, he might prove to be a true tempo setter. When he passes to a deeper, defensive-minded midfielder, it is more balanced and has more punch.

3Farke’s loyalty and lack of substitutions at Leeds

Better player profiles across the board could help Leeds improve if Farke is unwilling to make many tactical changes. However, Farke’s commitment to the team he starts with raises questions about whether he will overwork them or burn them out. His substitutions could arrive much sooner than they do now. Piroe, for example, was brought on in the 84th minute and scored a brilliant goal three minutes later to seal the victory. That switch could have come sooner to find the game-winning second goal that was proving to be elusive. Top teams are able to make positive substitutions on a regular basis, as Ipswich did last season. Farke must quickly learn that this is possible.

Tanaka demonstrated that he deserves more playing time with his late goal, even though it came in a 2-0 victory. In the winter months, when games are played often and injuries are mounting, rotation will become more important than sticking with players who aren’t playing at their best. For example, the profiles of Gruev and Ampadu are similar, so Leeds needs something distinct to give them more push.