Leeds United mystery and bench time lies beyond Birmingham City struggle — Graham Smyth's FA Cup Verdict — YEP 16/2/26

By Graham Smyth

The Verdict on Leeds United’s huge FA Cup fright at Birmingham City in the face of six Whites changes is in.

What lies beyond the fifth round of the FA Cup is a bit of a mystery to younger Leeds United fans, so long has it been that the Whites graced that stage of the competition.

Not since 2003 have Leeds gone further than the fifth round and the evidence of their Premier League season so far, particularly at home, says there is no real reason why they cannot break that miserable streak.

But if they are to turn a cup run into a real adventure there can be no repeat of the fourth round performance at Birmingham City because what lies beneath the first-choice team did not show up.

Sean Longstaff's reaction to his tie-winning penalty at the end of a near-perfect shootout for the visitors was almost apologetic.

While team-mates huddled around goalkeeper Lucas Perri and celebrated in front of the away end, the Premier League veteran simply turned and walked towards halfway to shake hands with the Championship hosts.

Longstaff's performance was one of several that failed to elevate Leeds to a level that should have been too much for a second-tier side that showed as many changes as Daniel Farke's team sheet.

James Justin's importance in Leeds United's season needed no further rubber stamping but the captain's armband was a fitting reward for his emergence from squad player status to become a key operator and leader.

At Birmingham City he was tasked with leading an experimental team, but not a particularly green one.

There was international experience across the back four. Premier League experience in the midfield thanks to the return of Longstaff to the starting XI. And sufficient quality in attacking areas to do damage against even the best the English second tier had to offer.

Facundo Buonanotte's full debut provided reassurance that the loanee was doing enough at Thorp Arch to earn Farke's trust and a go at playing as a 10 in a 4-2-3-1.

But against a Blues side full of confidence and playing like it, Buonanotte's first few minutes were difficult. He gave the ball away with a sloppy pass, got crunched in a duel he lost, tried a fancy flick that didn't come off and gave away a free-kick. His struggle mirrored the one Leeds found themselves in.

The system Farke used from the start was a throwback, the formation in which Leeds dominated possession in almost every Championship game for two years.

Birmingham saw to it that there was no sense of nostalgia or even familiarity for their visitors in the opening quarter of an hour.

Beyond a Leeds corner all the notable action came at the other end. Jhon Solis stuck a back post volley into the side netting and Jay Stansfield's left-foot scorcher was dipping into the net until Lucas Perri flew across his goal to tip it onto the woodwork.

Had it not been for Gabriel Gudmundsson sliding in to block Carlos Vicente's cut-back after Stansfield unlocked the Whites defence, Perri would have been called into action again. And from the resulting corner, Christoph Klarer headed into a clutch of bodies. It was a goalless hammering.

Eventually Leeds got a foot on the ball and stabilised somewhat, allowing them to stem the blue and white tide and even create a little of their own, but only a little.

Just after the half hour mark they mustered a chance, even if it was just a long-range Longstaff strike that Ryan Allsop palmed around the post.

But Birmingham continued to attack as they defended, on the front foot and with aggression. Leeds lost too many duels, lost the ball too easily, had no significant presence in midfield and no platform up top. So Perri remained the busier keeper.

Something had to change for Leeds, as early as the break, and it was Buonanotte who was rescued from his nightmare.

On in his place came Ethan Ampadu and the skipper showed almost immediately what it was that Leeds had been missing. He pressed Birmingham all the way back to Allsop and charged down the keeper's clearance. A goal kick was the outcome but it served as a signal, too.

Leeds won the next aerial challenge, Noah Okafor got away from his man to find Lukas Nmecha and he bundled through one challenge to slam a fierce strike into the net.

Though Birmingham's initial response to the goal was good, winning a series of corners and creating dangerous moments if not clear-cut chances, Ampadu's presence was making a huge difference for Leeds.

His physicality made an even game of it, at the very least. He dealt with the ball well and when technicality wasn't the answer he turned to brute force. And with him leading the charge Leeds were on the front foot far more than they had been in the first half.

The FA Cup this season presents the best chance for fringe players to impress upon Farke their usefulness but Willy Gnonto failed to follow up his Pride Park exploits with anything like the same. He came off having struggled to make an impression as the manager turned to his regulars.

Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin took the places of Gnonto and Nmecha. Ao Tanaka also made way. For all the talk of a lack of minutes impacting players' ability to shine, this was still a big opportunity and Tanaka let it slip through his fingers.

And Leeds seemed to have things under control. They threatened from successive corners, Jaka Bijol and Justin glancing headers just over.

Birmingham were unable to dominate as they had in the first half but nor were they out of the tie. When they did get forward, substitute Ibrahim Osman was wasting their chances from terrific positions on the left.

With 89 minutes on the clock Leeds cleared a corner as far as Patrick Roberts and with one swing of his boot he sent the ball into the area, off the head of Justin and into the back of the net.

Either team could have won it in the six minutes added on, Calvert-Lewin saw a shot deflected over and Osman got himself into a glorious position to end it when Leeds fell asleep from a throw, only to hit the woodwork. Bijol blocked Kanya Fujimoto's follow up. Had Birmingham converted their big moment no one would have quibbled over how deserved it would have been.

Extra-time was unable to separate the teams, which again was testament to the Blues' spirit and Leeds' sloppiness. Joel Piroe was slow to release the ball with Calvert-Lewin begging for a through ball, Longstaff was guilty of similar and Aaronson too. But if anyone was going to win it before penalties it was the top flight outfit. Calvert-Lewin was foiled by Allsop at the near post and Ampadu hooked over a last-gap chance to settle it.

In the shootout Birmingham City continued to ask awkward questions.

Stansfield sent Perri the wrong way and so too did Marvin Ducksch, but with Leeds perfect from the spot thanks to Piroe and Calvert-Lewin, parity remained.

The Blues' luck ran out when Perri guessed right and saved from Tommy Doyle, Aaronson rolled home and Roberts skied his pivotal penalty.

That gave Longstaff the chance to win it and put Leeds in the fifth round. How they got there as a collective probably doesn't matter a jot.

Being in the hat was the only requirement when the tie kicked off. But as individuals there ought to be some tough self-reflection.

Rust or no rust, quality should have shone through far brighter than it did, even in the pouring rain against an in-form Birmingham City.

For a handful, what lies beyond this cup tie is no mystery but simply more time on the bench.