Leeds United's FA Cup 'upset' as Bamford's magic moment prompts phonecall - Graham Smyth's Verdict — YEP 8/1/24
Think the magic of the FA Cup can only be produced by underdogs? Leeds United's Patrick Bamford would like a word.
By Graham Smyth
Ordinarily the bigger club in a cup tie wants there to be a
complete absence of magic when this brilliant tournament rolls around each
season. Magic is the unpredictable, the unexpected and ordinarily a result that
gives the rest of the country what it wants. In this case, the nation would
have wanted Peterborough United to upset the odds and dump the Whites out of
the competition. All together now: "Leeds, Leeds are..."
But Leeds themselves had already confounded the odds with a
history-making 13th straight away draw, before even taking to the bobbly
surface at London Road. And what then transpired was an upset of sorts, because
Leeds bucked their own trend of underwhelming recent historical outings against
lower league opponents and produced a performance so professional that the rest
of the country never got a sniff of their hearts' desire. Peterborough are a
good side, in good form and they play good football. This was a difficult draw.
And yet an early enough first half lead and two more goals in the second half
gave the Whites a deserved 3-0 victory and a place in the fourth round. All
very straightforward. Not at all very Leeds.
Let's get straight to the magic though, because what were
the chances of Bamford hitting the net in the way he did? His strike was of a
standard that would have raised the eyebrows of Gabriel Batistuta, Thierry
Henry or Marco van Basten. It was good enough to prompt a Posh fan to ring up
BBC Five Live's 606 programme and declare it the best he had seen in 65 years
of match attendance at London Road. That gent was not the only one of a
Peterborough persuasion to have applauded in the seconds after the ball hit the
net. It was that good.
Ethan Ampadu sent the ball up to Bamford who controlled 25
yards from goal on his chest in midair, landed and then before it could bounce
sorted his feet out quickly enough to swivel and sweep a sweet volley away from
the despairing dive of Fynn Talley. Words simply do not do it justice. It was a
moment of magic to match any.
Selecting Bamford for this cup tie made a lot of sense for
former striker Daniel Farke because he has often spoken of the need for centre
forwards to get into their rhythm and find their confidence. On New Year's Day
Bamford received his first start of the Championship season and marked it with
a goal, a neat headed finish from a few yards out. If that was enough to put a
smile on his face, what followed six days later at Peterborough should have him
springing into Leeds' next outing at Cardiff City. And hey presto, Leeds have a
striker in form and far fitter than he has been in a long time. Beyond that, on
a personal level, Bamford has had a truly rancid time of it in the last couple
of years. Injuries have robbed him of the chance to even kick a ball, never
mind caress one into the net from 25 yards on the volley. The days of a fanbase
purring over his Premier League goals, like when he stuck three past Villa,
feel like a lifetime ago. So this day, for him, was magic.
Number nine was not where the interest was found when
Farke's team sheet landed at 1pm on Sunday, though. When you reach a certain
height in the football pyramid, specifically the upper echelons of the
Championship and the Premier League, the early rounds of the FA Cup can be a
useful exercise in seeing what lies just beneath the surface of a squad. Team
selections can lay bare precisely where a player lies in the manager's
estimations. Charlie Cresswell failing to make the 20-man list to face League
One opposition was therefore always going to invite questions. As was his dad,
former Leeds striker Richard, posting an image of Charlie on Instagram with the
caption: "Be nice to see him play at some point."
With Pascal Struijk out injured and Liam Cooper nursing a
reaction to last Monday's game against Birmingham, Cresswell looked a logical
solution, particularly with Farke's recent words on how highly he rates the
youngster still ringing so clearly. Instead, Ethan Ampadu, who might have
valued a first rest of the season, found himself moving back to the position he
has played more than any other in his career and partnering Joe Rodon.
When a manager makes any kind of change he makes himself
vulnerable to criticism but vindication is found in performances and results.
What followed from Rodon and Ampadu at the back left zero room for any
argument, other than hypothetical ones, that Cresswell should have started.
That has been the way of it this season when it comes to Rodon and the right
side of that central defensive area because the Welsh international has barely
put a foot wrong. He was imperious again against Posh. What that ultimately
means for Cresswell and the rest of this season was a question for another day
because Farke was in no mood to be drawn on it after the game.
Jamie Shackleton's return at right-back allowed Archie Gray
to go back into midfield to partner Ilia Gruev and the duo started well, the
latter getting a foot in to nip Peterborough possession in the bud high up the
pitch. Leeds refused to give their hosts any time, smothering them out of
possession, and that led directly to a golden chance for an opener when Talley
passed straight to Gray and the teen just couldn't put enough on his finish to
beat the keeper. On the ball Leeds started well too. Willy Gnonto, another of
Farke's changes, whipped in a cross that Bamford glanced on target, Tally
making a fine save.
Posh eventually settled, though, having persisted with their
possession football, continued to take risks and eventually they came close to
reaping a reward. Ampadu was forced into a vital challenge in the area, just
before Ephron Mason-Clark skinned Shackleton and brought another big
intervention from the Welshman. The left flank almost brought joy again when
full-back Harrison Burrows got forward to cross for Ricky-Jade Jones, who poked
wide.
What Leeds needed was to put the plucky League One upstarts
in their place and quash a full-scale rebellion before it was fully formed, and
it took a weird moment for the visitors to do so. Referee Sam Allison awarded
Leeds a free-kick just outside the area and was preparing to blow his whistle
when Jaidon Anthony began his run up. The whistle did go before Anthony could
make contact with the ball, but only by a split second, leaving Posh defenders
frozen as the cross found Bamford. Ampadu took full advantage of the confusion
to crash in his first ever Leeds goal.
To their credit, Peterborough did not fold or go away. The
impressive Hector Kyprianou poked a shot just past the post, via a deflection.
And then the Gnonto show commenced, the winger taking a brainless yellow card
for time wasting before going down in the area under a challenge that could
only reasonably merit a penalty and a second yellow for Josh Knight. Referee
Allison saw it differently and yet did not produce the second yellow for Gnonto
that the home fans wanted.
Before the game Farke spoke of the need to show resilience
and mental strength if the referee gave poor decisions against Leeds and though
for a brief time Gnonto let his heart rule his head as he remonstrated with the
officials, the Whites were not knocked off their stride and went down the
tunnel at the break 1-0 leaders.
It was all set up for a potentially tricky second half when,
within 120 seconds of the restart, Bamford went into his hat and pulled out a
wondergoal. Leeds were then in full control, not fully dominant but
comfortable. Gruev was nipping in, Gray was making all the right decisions and
Rodon was Rodoning.
Despite chances for David Ajiboye and Ephron Mason-Clark, it
was Leeds who scored next to kill off the tie and it was Ampadu who got it -
you wait all season for a goal and then two come along at once - heading in a
pinpoint Daniel James corner to put the Whites in the fourth round. The FA Cup
sorting hat now takes centre stage, and acknowledging that it has put Leeds in
the away house an inconceivable number of times, Farke has stated that he would
like a home draw. Now wouldn't that be magic?