Leeds United were given a real scare by Championship side Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round and had to rely on penalties to squeeze through.
Sean Longstaff kept his cool when it mattered most, firing home the winning spot-kick to send the Whites into the next round after a bruising contest.
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After coming under scrutiny in recent weeks, Lucas Perri answered his critics in the best possible way, making several key saves during the game and then stepping up again in the shootout to ensure there was no shock at St Andrew’s.
Perri’s performance on Sunday has helped him to get noticed again this season. However, Leeds journalist Adam Pope is not entirely convinced that he did enough.
Pope does not feel Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri did enough on Sunday
Lucas Perri has not played a Premier League game for Leeds since the end of December, after his error allowed Newcastle to score the winner against Leeds at St. James’ Park.
The goalkeeper looked better against Birmingham City and more or less kept Leeds in the tie before they won on penalties at St. Andrew’s.
However, Pope does not feel he did enough to dislodge Karl Darlow from his position as the first-choice goalkeeper for the moment.
He insisted that Perri still looked vulnerable from corners, and Leeds got away with making some errors on Sunday.
Pope said on the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet podcast: “Perri was interesting because I thought he did some great things, like that save onto the post was amazing, a couple of other saves, the penalty save, it was almost like he celebrated once he’d saved it, as if they’d won the shootout at that point.
The players were all over him before the shootout, ‘come on, come on, you can do this.’
They were all over him after the shootout, but I still felt he looked vulnerable at corners, and Leeds got away with a few things there.
“I don’t think he’s done enough to shove Darlow out of the way, personally.”
Will Perri get one more chance to prove himself?
Perri hasn’t featured in the Premier League since the 4–3 defeat at Newcastle, when a costly late mistake proved decisive.
Karl Darlow hasn’t been perfect either, but he has looked the more assured of the two and has brought a greater sense of calm to the back line.
The Brazilian will be hoping his display against Birmingham City can act as a turning point and put him back in contention for a league return.
Lucas Perri Performance vs Birmingham City – Match Stats Breakdown
A detailed look at Lucas Perri’s goalkeeping performance against Birmingham City, highlighting saves, aerial dominance and defensive interventions.
Statistic Total
Penalty Shootout Saves 1
Total Saves 4
Saves from Inside the Box 2
Punches 1
Successful Runs Out 1 (1)
High Claims 1
Given the sizeable fee Leeds paid for him last summer, the club are unlikely to give up on him just yet and may be prepared to offer another opportunity.
Although Leeds are expected to assess their goalkeeping options ahead of next season, Perri will be banking on his FA Cup performance, earning him one more shot to prove himself.