Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has insisted it is "perhaps not realistic" to start dreaming of Wembley glory just yet, despite his side surviving a major FA Cup scare to edge past Birmingham City 4-2 on penalties in a dramatic fourth-round clash. The tense encounter at a fired-up St Andrew's saw Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri become the hero with a crucial save, while Patrick Roberts' late equaliser for Birmingham ultimately proved in vain after his penalty miss in the shootout.
Late Drama and Penalty Heartbreak
Sean Longstaff converted the winning spot-kick for Leeds after a nail-biting conclusion to the match. The drama unfolded when Roberts, who had come off the bench to score a deserved 89th-minute equaliser to cancel out Lukas Nmecha's second-half opener for Leeds, saw his penalty blaze over the crossbar. Tommy Doyle's earlier effort for Birmingham was saved by Perri, sealing a cruel exit for the home side.
Farke's Cautious Optimism
Farke, whose team reached the FA Cup last 16 for the third time in five seasons, acknowledged the club's recent poor history in the competition but expressed satisfaction with their current run. "We know that the recent history of this club is not great in the FA Cup, but we're on a little run already and that's quite good," he stated. "It's perhaps not realistic to dream already about winning at Wembley. But I'm a believer in the cup competition. I like a proper cup run and, whenever there's a chance to go into the next round, we want to grab it with both hands."
Birmingham's Valiant Effort
Leeds had to weather a first-half storm and a late Birmingham fightback, with Jay Stansfield's volley tipped onto the crossbar and substitute Ibrahim Osman hitting a post in added time before extra time. Farke praised Birmingham's performance, saying: "Really well done and congratulations first of all to Birmingham. They made this really difficult for us. Like we expected, a fantastic home performance. You could feel this team is in red hot form. I think eight games unbeaten in the league and of course the stadium was buzzing. Everyone was on it today."
Spirit and Confidence Boost
The Leeds boss emphasized the importance of the victory for team morale. "But this will be great for the spirit within our group and the whole unity and togetherness. Each game you win, even the scruffy games, is good for the confidence." Leeds regained control after captain Ethan Ampadu replaced Facundo Buonanotte at half-time, with both sides creating chances in an end-to-end tie that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Davies' Frustration and Pride
Birmingham manager Chris Davies could not hide his disappointment, believing his side deserved to win. "I'm proud of them. I think we should be, because obviously there's a tinge of frustration there as well. I think we should have been deserved winners, in terms of the overall chances in the match and how we played. I thought we should have probably won that," he said. Davies highlighted his team's fluidity and aggression, noting they should have been ahead at half-time and kept pushing until the end.
When Osman's low shot in added time struck a post, Kanya Fujimoto's follow-up was brilliantly blocked by Leeds defender Jaka Bijol. Davies added: "Had that gone in we'd have won 2-1 and I don't think there would be any complaints from anyone." The narrow defeat leaves Birmingham to reflect on what might have been, while Leeds march on in the FA Cup with cautious optimism under Farke's steady leadership.
