Key takeaways as Leeds United beat Birmingham City on penalties to book their place in the FA Cup fifth round.
Leeds United secured their spot in the FA Cup fifth round draw following a hard-fought penalty-shootout victory at Birmingham City. The Whites drew 1-1 inside 90 and 120 minutes before a perfect showing from 12 yards, with the hosts missing twice to lose 4-2 from the spot.
A much-changed Leeds side rode their luck in the first-half before going ahead in the second, Lukas Nmecha firing in at Ryan Allsop’s near post. But Birmingham kept pushing and got their equaliser on 89 minutes when Patrick Roberts’ speculative effort deflected off James Justin and in.
A debut to forget for Facundo Buonanotte
This reporter named Buonanotte among his Leeds players with a point to prove at Birmingham but by half-time, the only point proven was why Farke had not started him earlier. A full debut in Leeds colours lasted just 45 minutes and what a disappointing 45 minutes it was before he was hooked for Ethan Ampadu.
Buonanotte should have been running the show against Championship opposition but instead attempted just 19 passes, four of which were wayward. According to Fotmob, The Argentinian failed in all three dribble attempts, misplaced both of his long passes and won just one of his eight ground duels.
There is an understanding that after playing so little football during the first half of the campaign, Buonanotte might be a little rusty but based on that 45 minutes he looks some way short. And with Leeds unable to afford the luxury of carrying anyone through a Premier League game, the on-loan Brighton man must sharpen up or risk another few months on the fringes.
Leeds United regulars shine through
Few of Farke’s first-team core will have been worried about losing their place during that first half and it was those regular starters who gave Leeds a foothold in the game. Ampadu’s introduction swung the pendulum, the Welshman getting straight into his rhythm and sweeping up Birmingham attacks in a way neither Sean Longstaff nor Ao Tanaka could.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin did a much better job of holding up play and getting Leeds up the pitch than Nmecha - who admittedly produced a great finish - while Aaronson had more of an impact than Buonanotte. Jayden Bogle and Joe Rodon were also decent, while Jaka Bijol was the best of those to start.
Now more than ever, it feels clear which players make up Leeds’ strongest-XI and which will have to make their impact off the bench - in the Premier League at least. That is no bad thing as long as injuries don’t pile up, otherwise it feels like there will be a drop in quality if that core is broken.
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Confidence boost for Lucas Perri
One position still without clarity is goalkeeper, with Lucas Perri the clear first-choice until he wasn’t. Sunday at Birmingham was the Brazilian’s first start for over a month and he was thrown in at the deep end, showing he can swim with an outstanding first-half fingertip save to deny Jay Stansfield before an equally good stop of Tommy Doyle’s penalty.
“It’s always good to have a good game like this,” a beaming Perri told TNT Sports after enjoying his role in the win. “The most important thing is to have confidence in myself. It doesn’t depend on the result but obviously it’s nice to have a game like this. I hope to keep going and helping the club as always.”
The reaction from the Leeds squad after Longstaff tucked home his penalty said a lot, with many gunning straight for Perri who was all smiles. The match-winning goalkeeper was also thrown in front of the celebrating away after the win, nominated by his teammates to lead the now traditional three chants.
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