Leeds United goalkeeper Lucas Perri, Daniel Farke in a circular insert.
Leeds United edged past Birmingham City on Sunday to secure their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
It wasn’t the prettiest performance, and ultimately, United needed to scrape by the Championship outfit on penalties; however, Daniel Farke’s men managed to get the job done.
Most Read on The Leeds Press
Certain players, like Facundo Buonanotte, were handed a rare start against Birmingham, but failed to capitalise on the opportunity given to them by Farke.
However, this was not the case for Lucas Perri, who impressed upon his return to the starting XI, with a former Leeds United goalkeeper praising the Brazilian after his fine display.
Paul Robinson raves about ‘excellent’ Lucas Perri performance against Birmingham
The FA Cup tie was Perri’s first Leeds appearance since losing his status as the first-choice goalkeeper to Karl Darlow following a costly mistake during the Whites’ game with Newcastle back in January.
However, the Brazilian produced arguably the best performance of his Leeds career to date against Birmingham, including an acrobatic save to sensationally deny Jay Stansfield as well as a crucial stop in the penalty shootout.
Speaking on the BBC’s FA Cup highlight show, Robinson pointed out a crucial detail which allowed Perri to make a spectacular save to deny Tommy Doyle in the shootout.
“I thought he was excellent today. That is a good save from Tommy Doyle’s penalty. You look at his left foot here, he gives himself a bit of a bigger base so he can propel himself with that right foot.
“Keeping that left foot in contact with the line allows him to push off his right foot from slightly off the line. He can then spring and go full length into the bottom right-hand corner.”
Leeds fans will certainly agree with their former ‘keeper and will be hoping Perri can build on this positive performance going forward.
READ MORE:‘I’m doing my bit…’ – £43k a week Leeds United ace makes astonishing revelation after win against Birmingham – The Leeds Press
Data suggests Lucas Perri’s kicking still needs some work
Although his performance when it came to shot-stopping was incredible, the data suggests that Perri’s kicking could still do with some work.
Out of the 43 passes he attempted, 20 were accurate
Perri’s passing in his own half was good, completing 12 out of 13
However, his long balls weren’t as successful, completing just 10 out of 33 (Sofascore)
To put this in perspective, Darlow, who is also not the best with the ball at his feet, had a slightly higher total pass completion and long ball completion rate against Chelsea, where the Welshman came up against far superior opposition to what Perri came up against during the tie against Birmingham.
Whilst ultimately Perri’s job is to produce saves, the 28-year-old will also need to improve his kicking if he wants to re-establish himself as a regular for United in the Premier League.
READ MORE:49ers must not panic amid major Largie Ramazani developments – The Leeds Press