Find out how Leeds United's players rated against Birmingham City in this afternoon's FA Cup fourth round clash
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
14:49, 15 Feb 2026
Lukas Nmecha and Ao Tanaka of Leeds United celebrate
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Lukas Nmecha and Ao Tanaka of Leeds United celebrate(Image: Getty Images)
Leeds United scraped through to the fifth round of the FA Cup after a penalty shoot-out win over Birmingham City with the teams locked at 1-1 after 120 minutes.
Lukas Nmecha made up for a very languid first 45 minutes with a belting strike just after half-time, cutting inside to score his seventh goal of the season.
There were a number of hairy moments for Leeds throughout the game, both from set-pieces and open play. However it was bit a of misfortune that saw Leeds conceded oin the 89th minute.
Patrick Roberts' long range effort deflected off the head of Justin and past Perri into the net. That said, it was not undeserved that the hosts pulled level.
It was always going to be a battle of the mind and the legs in extra time, and both teams had their moments. However, there was no brealkthrough and so the match was to be decided on spot kicks.
Lucas Perri made a save in the shoot-out and Sean Longstaff would fire home the winner. Here are how the players rated.
Lucas Perri - Made a great save to tip onto the post early on. Was called into action more than he would have liked to be. Did totally miss a punch from one corner and hit one free kick straight out of play. Made a save in the shoot out. 7
James Justin - Made a few darts up the right and at one stage kept chasing the ball across the back line until Birmingham lost it. Held position fine, albeit was not perfect. Came close with a header but then his head was the culprit at the other end. 7
Jaka Bijol - Largely solid and made a few important stops and interceptions. Headed away well too on numerous occasions. Came close with a header in the Birmingham box. Consistent throughout extra time. 7
Sebastiaan Bornauw - Out of sorts for large periods and took a fair few whacks although Made a few important stops, normally last-ditch. Also gave the ball away on occasion. 6
Gabriel Gudmundsson - Was the main wing threat in the first half, with his long-throw success mixed. Kept hustling down the left in the second while minding his flank. A standard showing. Kept the engine running in extra time. 7
Ao Tanaka - Didn't have the impact many look for in the Japan international. Lost the ball a few times and was sometimes played around. Rusty, yes, but also lacking a bit of confidence. 5
Sean Longstaff - Some decent touches and took a long-range effort at goal that had to be saved. Was hardly domineering, though, and in extra time was essentially out of the game. Struck the winning penalty. 6
Facundo Buonanotte - Started off poorly and was bullied out of the game. Was so poor that he was brought off at half-time. 3
Wilfried Gnonto - Couldn't get on the ball enough and was not overly productive. Quite poor actually, with not much notable moments. 4
Lukas Nmecha - Struggled to get into the first half barring a few one-touch pieces but belted home the opener shortly after half-time. 7
Noah Okafor - A few flashes but wasn't brilliant. Ran at his man a few times but failed to get a potent cross into the box despite some nifty touches. Came off injured. 6
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Jayden Bogle (82' for Okafor) - Was deployed right wing. Almost got onto a Dominic Calvert-Lewin flick-on in extra time. 6
Ethan Ampadu (46' for Buonanotte) - Charged down a goalkeeper long ball soon into the second half. Led by example, taking command of the midfield and thereby control of the match until the leveller Continued to be the talisman in extra time, in general. 7
Brenden Aaronson (68' for Gnonto) - Forced a corner when taking on his man on-on-one and another shortly after. Neat with his play until the equaliser then lost his composure a bit. Continued to run. 6
Joel Piroe (78' for Tanaka) - Put in a poor cross, won one duel but couldn't make the most of a one-on-one in extra time. Was also too slow in the pas multiple times. 4
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (68' for Nmecha) - Saw a stoppage-time shot in regulation time deflect over the bar. Should have squared a ball he shot in the dying embers of extra time. 6
Joe Rodon (91' for Bornauw) - Held his line and did his job. 6
MANAGER: Daniel Farke - His starting XI did not work and they were lucky to go into the break level. Bringing Ampadu on at half-time changed the game but ultimately did not do enough to win in normal time with subs not doing the business. 5
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