Peterborough 0 Leeds United 3: Goal of pure majesty from Patrick Bamford in FA Cup third-round breeze for United — Yorkshire Post 7/1/24

Peterborough 0 Leeds United 3

JOURNEY on the East Coast Main Line and you will pass destinations where cup shocks have been prevalent over many years.

By Leon Wobschall

York, Stevenage, Doncaster and even Berwick - 1967 versus Glasgow Rangers anyone?. And of course, Peterborough.

Leeds were knocked out in the gateway to the Fens at this stage of the FA Cup in 1986. An ugly loss had also previously occurred not too far away from these parts and just off the main line at Histon in the second round in 2008-09.

Elsewhere, there was Sutton, Newport, Crawley et al.

Greig Shepherd, who went into the pub trade after ending his playing days before later becoming a policeman, was the Posh player who grabbed the glory by scoring the only goal of the game against Leeds 38 years earlier at London Road.

In the here and now, Leeds were assigned with bringing some law and order following some painful cup episodes, on the road of course with this being the club’s 13th consecutive away tie in the competition.

There was nothing unlucky about it. It was Leeds who imposed their will on proceedings on an occasion lit up by a strike of pure majesty from Patrick Bamford.

It came moments into the second half; a goal which would grace any FA Cup third-round goals reel and sit comfortably alongside feted strikes from the likes of Ronnie Radford and Mickey Thomas.

Ethan Ampadu’s long pass found Bamford. He controlled the ball with his chest instinctively and what followed next was simply breathtaking; an instant swivel and gorgeous swing of his left boot with his sumptuous volley arrowing straight into the top corner. Simply magnificent - technique of the highest order.

It was a show-stopper, for sure and floored Posh, who were not the same after.

Bamford did have to share the stage with Ampadu, who scored not just one, but two maiden goals in the colours of Leeds - to set them on their way and gild things late on. But afterwards, the talk was all about one glorious moment.

After three successive away losses, this was just what the doctor ordered for Leeds, who navigated a sticky fixture with elan.

Daniel Farke made six changes - with rare starts arriving for Jaiden Anthony, Jamie Shackleton, Ilia Gruev and Junior Firpo. A-team members in the shape of Crysencio Summerville, Daniel James and Georginio Rutter were kept in reserve by way of a contingency ‘just in case’ plan.

In the event, they weren't really needed.

Leeds looked pretty in pink early on, painting pictures on a bobbly pitch and slippery surface. They passed up the prospect of a couple of early goals and Posh took heart and regrouped, with Hector Kyprianou and Ephron Mason-Clark stepping up to the plate in particular.

The game was in the melting pot, only for a controversial episode to befriend Leeds by virtue of their opener.

Ahead of the interval, another big moment went against United, with referee Sam Allison, recently promoted to the Premier League taking centre stage for both.

The goal had a bizarre feel. Jaiden Anthony started his run-up to take a free-kick before Allison whistled. Posh momentarily switched off and it was fatal. A fraction of a second after Allison blew, Anthony’s centre was chested down by the unmarked Bamford and Ampadu, free in the box, fired a shot down into the ground and into the net.

Allison then drew the ire of Wilfried Gnonto - on a booking - when he ignored appeals for a cast-iron looking penalty claim when he went down after Josh Knight injudiciously stuck out a leg.

It brought some spice to a half which had started with Leeds firmly on the front foot.

A side who take a chance playing out from the box, Posh were spooked early on when Fynn Talley played the ball straight to Archie Gray, with the teenager - switched to centre midfield - firing at the relieved keeper with plenty of the goal to aim at.

Talley then kept out a header from Bamford from Gnonto’s sweet corner. Eventually Posh found some order and Leeds then let them off the hook.

Posh’s best opportunities both arrived to Kyprianou, who guided a header wide when unchallenged before Leeds’s opener. Straight after it, the midfielder should have levelled, stabbing wide after the visitors’ did not clear Harrison Burrows’s free-kick.

After Bamford's moment of sheer class, it was a procession for Leeds.

Anthony forced Talley into two tidy saves, while Posh did have a few chances for a consolation with substitute Mason-Clark going close, with the under-worked Klaesson saving with his legs to deny substitute David Ajiboye.

But the swagger came from Leeds, who put gloss on an enjoyable afternoon in Cambridgeshire when Ampadu glanced in a header from Dan James corner. Now, for that home draw…