Birmingham City 1 Leeds United 1 (2-4 on penalties): Steady Sunday afternoon does not go to plan but Whites progress — Yorkshire Post 15/2/26

By Stuart Rayner

Leeds United planned to take it easy on their Sunday afternoon in the second city but ended up having to work overtime against Birmingham City, only reaching the FA Cup fifth round after a penalty shoot-out.

But at least all the extra effort did not go to waste, with Joel Piroe, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Sean Longstaff – all of whom missed spot kicks against Sheffield Wednesday when Leeds went out of the League Cup in August finding the net.

With Lucas Perri saving from Tommy Doyle and Patrick Roberts clearing the crossbar either side of Brenden Aaronson scoring, the visitors won the shoot-out 4-2 after a 1-1 draw they only got because of Ibrahim Osman’s woeful finishing.

Drawn against Championship opposition, the plan was to take it easy with some of those Leeds have leant on so heavily in this Premier League, but it was not how it played out.

The tie was only the fifth club game Ampadu – a regular for Wales too – had not started this season.

You often notice the importance of holding midfielders more when they are off the field than on it, and Farke soon knew he had to get his captain on as Leeds struggled against supposedly inferior opposition.

Ampadu was introduced at half-time and made an instant impact. Quite apart from the normal qualities he brings to the team – his passing, positioning and ball-winning – within minutes he was pressing in the face of Birmingham City goalkeeper Ryan Allsop.

Imbued with much-needed urgency, within minutes they had taken the lead, Noah Okafor winning the ball and giving it to Lukas Nmecha, who rode a tackle and got a shot away quickly into the net.

But Birmingham stubbornly refused to break, and Farke had to introduce Calvert-Lewin, Aaronson, Jayden Bogle and Joe Rodon to put his team into Monday’s draw.

They were needed because most of the stand-ins failed to shine.

Fortunately for Leeds Perri did, along with centre-backs Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw.

John Solis and Demarai Gray had already passed up chances when Perri – dropped after conceding four at Newcastle in early January – wonderfully tipped Jay Stansfield's shot high onto a post.

Facundo Buonanotte, making his first start in the hole of a 4-2-3-1 was only justifying why he has seen so little football since his loan signing from Brighton and Hove Albion, hugely wasteful in his passing.

It was no great surprise he did not reappear for the second half.

Ao Tanaka was also below par, later making way.

At times Leeds made their own problems, Wily Gnonto dribbling where he ought not to. Gabriel Gudmundsson made a good block from Carlos Vicente's cross. Christoph Klaser won his header from the corner but put it into the back of Gray.

Gray easily beat James Justin for pace to a ball over the top but his cross picked Bornauw out.

Longstaff forced a good save from former Hull City goalkeeper Allsop but when a similar chance came his way late in the half, he did not catch it anywhere near as cleanly.

Perri had to make a good 40th-minute save when Carlos Vincente picked Gray out. A couple of minutes later the winger was booked for diving in the Leeds penalty area.

Ampadu's introduction meant a change to a three-man midfield but Nmecha's 50th-minute goal did nothing to deter Birmingham.

Bijol had to make a good tackle when Stansfield got into a shooting position and Amapdu's tracking back stopped fellow substitute Ibrahim Osman having a tap-in at the far post in the 59th minute.

Bijol and Justin headed over corners won by the energy Aaronson was supposed to be saving but there was no question which team deserved to score the second goal.

It finally came in the 90th minute, a corner cleared out to ex-Middlesbrough player Patrick Roberts, whose shot was deflected beyond Perri by the head of James Justin.

Calvert-Lewin and Aaronson had shots blocked but Birmingham who came closest to sparing everyone an extra 30 minutes of work.

Despite only coming on at half-time, Osman had more chances than anyone. He wriggled into space in the 73rd minute but his shot was deflected, then when another was blocked he put the rebound well wide, before curling wide again.

The ball fell to him for just about the last kick of normal time, and his effort bounced off the far post.

Leeds had a couple of glimpses in the first half of extra-time by going direct to Calvert-Lewin, but defenders stopped Joel Piroe and Bogle getting shots away and again Osman missed, from a Stansfield cross.

Perri plunged right to deny Doyle from the fifth kick. Aaronson sent Allsop the wrong way and when Roberts cleared the bar, Longstaff won it.

The how never matters in the FA Cup, but Leeds' German manager would have wanted to win with a lot more efficiency.