Leeds United's immensely strong bench helped the West Yorkshire titans to overcome Plymouth Argyle in the end, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter showing their class late on to ensure Daniel Farke's men pulled off a 4-1 win in the FA Cup replay.
Leeds hotshot Mateo Joseph was chosen to lead the line in a rotated XI from the German boss, but failed to really make an impact in Devon before the usually reliable first-team suspects bailed the Whites out in extra time.
Patrick Bamford was also afforded a run-out at Home Park when Farke rolled the dice to make sure his side didn't crash out of the cup, but the 47-year-old boss could well have had this dangerous and exciting attacker at his disposal last night if the Whites pushed harder in the transfer window.
Over time, the skilful striker in question could have even been a natural successor to a waning Bamford and would have understandably unsettled Joseph traversing that difficult leap from youth football to the senior set-up.
When Leeds wanted to sign Ali Al-Hamadi
An in-demand striker from a whole host of EFL clubs in the window – with Ipswich Town beating all the competition to land his signature – Ali-Al Hamadi could have given Leeds something fresh and exciting up top.
The 21-year-old, who is a fully-fledged Iraq international, shone in League Two this season for AFC Wimbledon and represents a shrewd capture for Kieran McKenna's men who desperately needed new bodies in the striker spots at Portman Road.
The Whites would feel aggrieved that they weren't the party who won the former Dons man owing to the supposed transfer fee the Tractor Boys paid to land the 6 foot 2 attacker.
Ipswich only forked out an alleged £1m to land an attacker who can only get better transitioning to the demands of the second tier after setting the world alight in League Two.
Farke might well have looked at his current striker options and deemed Al-Hamadi a transfer not worth pursuing after all.
Yet, if the ex-Wimbledon attacker can fire Ipswich to promotion at the expense of the Whites – alongside another failed Leeds target in Kieffer Moore leading the line – the German manager could well be filled with regret.
Ali Al-Hamadi's numbers at Wimbledon
It was clear from his time with the Dons this campaign that Al-Hamadi was beginning to outgrow League Two, making goalscoring and creating chances for his fellow teammates at Plough Lane look effortless.
This season alone, the Iraqi striker had scored 17 goals from 30 games in all competitions alongside notching up an impressive eight assists to showcase his unselfish side away from just finishing chances.
Described as being a "sensational" signing by football analyst Tom Williams when his move to Ipswich was confirmed, only time will tell if Al-Hamadi can live up to the hype surrounding him.
Al-Hamadi theoretically could have come into the Leeds team and shaken things up as a result, pushing Bamford down the pecking order despite the one-time England senior international experiencing a mini purple patch recently.
Bagging four goals from five matches to kickstart his 2024 made Bamford a first-team presence again, but at 30 years of age, looking towards the future with Al-Hamadi walking in through the door would have been a smart purchase to make.
Known for having horrific luck with injuries too, everything points in the direction that signing the 21-year-old to come in and battle with Bamford made perfect sense in the window.
The new Ipswich number 16 even proved himself to be a handful on his Tractor Boys debut away at Deepdale, missing a big chance in the contest despite only being on the pitch for a slim total of eight minutes.
With Joseph also yet to score in senior football from 16 first-team opportunities to date, Leeds could well live to rue not going after Al-Hamadi with more purpose in the window, especially with the cut-price Ipswich managed to pay to win the services of the up-and-coming attacker.