Willy Gnonto and Georginio Rutter lead Leeds United's blitz of Plymouth Argyle in FA Cup replay — Yorkshire Post 6/2/24
Three extra-time goals fired Leeds into the FA Cup fifth round with a 4-1 win at Championship rivals Plymouth to book a trip to Premier League opposition in either Chelsea or Aston Villa.
Substitutes Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter
combined to put United 3-1 up before a 117th-minute own goal by Argyle striker
Ryan Hardie capped a comprehensive United win.
Leeds will now travel to Premier League Aston Villa or
Chelsea on Wednesday February 28.
The replay sparked to life in the 13th minute when a
brilliant through-ball from Sam Byram found Mateo Joseph on the run. Joseph
beat marker Lewis Gibson in a tussle for the ball but Northern Ireland keeper
Conor Hazard got enough glove on a rising shot to turn the ball onto the frame
of the goal.
Leeds hit the woodwork again in the 20th minute as Glen
Kamara teed up Joel Piroe on the edge of the box. Piroe’s thundering drive took
enough of a deflection off Argyle central defender Brendan Galloway to take the
ball on to the face of the bar.
Plymouth responded on the counter, with skipper Joe Edwards
forcing a routine save from Illan Meslier after being set up by Morgan
Whittaker.
Defender Byram made a superb clearance to keep the ball away
from Callum Wright as Hardie’s pacy ball from the right beat Meslier in the
25th minute and skimmed across the six-yard box.
Joseph went close with a 55th-minute shot which took the
faintest of deflections off central defender Gibson’s heel and flew just past
the post, covered by a diving Hazard.
Leeds pressure eventually told as Wilfried Gnonto fired them
ahead in the 66th minute with a superb, measured right-foot strike from the
edge of the box to beat Hazard at full stretch. Gnonto benefitted from a superb
pass from playmaker Kamara from the right.
Substitute Archie Gray announced his arrival with a stinging
shot which flew just wide from 20 yards on 73 minutes.
Argyle levelled from a 78th-minute Whittaker free-kick from
the left as teenage central defender Ashley Phillips looped the far-post ball
over Meslier to Galloway, who chested the ball home.
Substitute Joe Gelhardt smashed a half-volley off the post
in stoppage time, while Hardie forced a last-minute save from Meslier as Argyle
responded positively.
Seven minutes into extra time Rutter put Summerville on his
way to a brilliant individual goal as he cut in from the left before beating
Hazard with a soaring strike.
As Plymouth pressed for an extra-time leveller, Summerville
teed up Rutter to sweep home Leeds’ third goal in the 111th minute.
Argyle’s misery was completed when Ilia Gruev’s corner
glanced off Hardie and skidded past his own keeper.