Cardiff City 3 Leeds United 1: Leeds comeback hope extinguished by error

Leeds United's Alex Mowatt turns and celebrates after scoring the first goal for Leeds. (Picture: James Hardisty).

Redfearn’s full-time appointment on an initial 12-month contract was confirmed hours before kick-off at Cardiff City Stadium.

He is already the third man to be tasked with leading Leeds this season by club president Massimo Cellino.

The 49-year-old did not get the start he wanted.

Goals from Bruno Manga and Federico Macheda had put Cardiff in control after a quiet first half.

Alex Mowatt’s well-taken effort got Leeds back into the game, only for a defensive mix-up between goalkeeper Marco Silvestri and Guiseppe Bellusci to gift Kenwyne Jones a third for Cardiff.

Redfearn says he sought and got assurances from Cellino, following the brief tenures of Dave Hockaday and Darko Milanic, that he is not a short-term appointment.

He said: “I spoke to Massimo and we talked about things going forward, which was a key point for me.

“I asked if he sees me as the future and he said he does, which is great for me. I have been here six years in total and have put in a lot of hard work. There is the caveat that I can go back to the academy if it does not work out, but I am very proud.”

Of his side’s performance, he added: “It was not a dazzling performance but for an hour it was a good away performance. We limited them and we countered well.

“But that period after half-time was where the damage was done. We gave ourselves a chance pulling one back, and I thought we might get something, but you cannot legislate for their third.”

Cardiff’s opener came just after the hour mark when Sean Morrison headed down for Manga to guide in his first Bluebirds goal. Macheda doubled the lead six minutes later with his third goal in four games. The former Manchester United forward powered a strike into the top corner with the aid of a deflection off Jason Pearce. Leeds raised hopes of salvaging a point when Mowatt fired across David Marshall from Souleymane Doukara’s pass.

That hope proved short-lived as Jones snuck in to score his sixth of the season.

Cardiff City: Marshall, Brayford, Ecuele Manga, Sean Morrison, Da Silva, Pilkington (Ralls 46), Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Noone, Macheda (Jones 75), Le Fondre (Ravel Morrison 81). Unused substitutes: Connolly, Maynard, Moore, Gabbidon.

Leeds United: Silvestri, Berardi (Byram 85), Bellusci, Pearce, Warnock, Cook, Bianchi (Sloth 76), Mowatt, Doukara, Morison (Dawson 69), Antenucci. Unused substitutes: Montenegro, Stuart Taylor, Tonge, Cooper.

Referee: A Woolmer (Northamptonshire).

Man of the match: Stephen Warnock.