Perri makes key save as Leeds sink Birmingham in FA Cup shootout
Leeds recovered from conceding a late equaliser to beat Birmingham 4-2 on penalties after an absorbing 1-1 draw
Leeds advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup, with sights set on a possible first quarter-final place since 2002‑03. But after scoring a last‑gasp equaliser to take the tie to extra time and then a penalty shootout, Birmingham could draw some consolation from pushing their top-flight opponents.
Sean Longstaff converted the clinching penalty, after Patrick Roberts, who had scored in the 89th minute to gain parity for Birmingham, blasted his kick over the crossbar; the Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri also saved from Tommy Doyle, Birmingham’s best player.
The home side’s status, two points outside the Championship playoff zone, means this result would not have counted as an embarrassment. Leeds are consolidating back in the Premier League and have now lost only once in seven games – and that against Arsenal – and here they showed the character to recover from a shoddy first half to make it through to the next round.
There was a sense that Birmingham needed to score while Leeds were so poor. Facundo Buonanotte, on his full debut for the visiting side after joining on loan from Brighton, typified their ineffectiveness and was withdrawn at half-time.
“No question Birmingham were the better side in the first half,” the Leeds manager, Daniel Farke, said. “We had rotated more players than we would normally do and had a lot of offensive players on the field, so if you don’t dominate the ball, you can get outmuscled. We changed it for the second half and [Ethan] Ampadu gave us more physicality.”
Jay Stansfield, Birmingham’s top scorer, had produced a superb left‑footed half‑volley that would have nestled in the top corner if Perri had not tipped the ball on to the post early on. Ibrahim Osman also shot against the inside of a post, Kanya Fujimoto unable to convert the rebound, with the last action of regulation time.
Both teams had made six changes to their starting lineups from Tuesday night league action but, even after Leeds led through Lukas Nmecha, this felt like a special day for Birmingham. They wore a bespoke kit for the day, replicating the blue with a white central stripe first worn by the team of the former England striker Bob Latchford in 1971-72, and the crowd were impassioned throughout.
Leeds had to weather a storm, on and off the pitch. Birmingham, bolstered by six signings in the January window, have strength in depth and, in St Andrew’s, the archetypal fortress. They have lost only once in 40 league games here.
The regular Leeds captain, Ethan Ampadu, came on for the second half and changed the complexion of the game; the Premier League side adapted their mentality as well as their shape. Within four minutes they were ahead.
There was a question over offside when Noah Okafor played the ball on for Nmecha but, in the absence of a video assistant referee until the next round of this competition, the striker was able to capitalise on Christoph Klarer’s slip and strike his seventh goal of the season inside the near post.
Harrison Reed's opportunistic finish carried Fulham into the fifth round of the FA Cup as they came from behind to defeat the Championship strugglers Stoke 2-1 at the bet365 Stadium.
Stoke have not won a game since seeing off Coventry in the previous round, but started well against a Fulham side showing 10 changes from their midweek defeat by Manchester City.
The South Korean midfielder Bae Jun-ho capped a fine move by putting Mark Robins's team ahead after 19 minutes but they were overpowered as their Premier League opponents settled after the interval.
The Brazilian winger Kevin got his reward for a livewire performance in the 55th minute, sending a first-time effort into the bottom corner after cutting in from the left, and a self-inflicted error cost the hosts dear with six minutes remaining.
Under siege for long periods, goalkeeper Tommy Simkin attempted a short pass to Tatsuki Seko, who was caught daydreaming by Reed, Fulham's captain for the day. He collected the ball as Seko tumbled to the turf, finished calmly and sealed the London club's place in the next stage.
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Birmingham did not lose belief, though Leeds were a different proposition now. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin and, especially, Brenden Aaronson coming on to add to their counterattacking threat, the chances of a Cup upset appeared to be receding – especially with Osman, on as a substitute, spurning a series of presentable chances from the left.
With a minute of regulation time remaining, a corner was recycled to Roberts who let fly, left-footed, from 25 yards. The ball snicked off James Justin and past Perri to take the tie into extra time and penalties.
Farke conceded that this was “far from champagne football” but he was proud that his Leeds side “showed again resilience”.
Chris Davies, the Birmingham manager, expressed pride in his team but struck a note of disappointment at the result.
“I’m proud of [my players],” Davies said. “Of course there’s a tinge of frustration because I thought we were deserved winners. We had all the grit, effort and determination but the quality to match.”