Daniel Farke had no need to channel his inner Marcel Bielsa and send any spies to watch Derby train this past week to know that, even with eight changes to his starting XI, his Leeds squad had more than enough Premier League class to overcome mid-table Championship opposition. Goals from the fringe players Wilfried Gnonto, Ao Tanaka and James Justin enabled Leeds to bounce back from their dramatic 4-3 defeat at Newcastle and overcome Ben Brereton Díaz’s first-half goal.
Leeds have lost just once in nine games now and, as well as an eight-point buffer from the relegation zone, can now countenance the prospect of an FA Cup run.
“We’re not favourites for the FA Cup,” Farke, the Leeds manager, said, “but it’s a competition for fairytales as well. I don’t want to speak about Wembley today but it would be great to write another chapter for this fantastic football club.”
Leeds were below par initially, the impressive Joël Piroe having a penalty saved, but did not have to up their game too dramatically to take charge. The voluble Leeds following were soon chanting ‘We’ll spy when we want’ as their side turned the game on its head by the hour mark.
With all the history surrounding this midday kick-off, it was a tame opening half-hour before Leeds increased their intensity to earn the chance to go ahead.
Even with their much-changed lineup, the running off the ball and incision of passing of the top-flight side suggested an opening goal was incoming. The fact it then went to Derby was an adrenaline surge for the neutral.
Piroe had just shot off the inside of the near post when Lukas Nmecha ran off the back of Danny Batth and was upended by Jakob Zetterström as the Derby goalkeeper came flying out.
Piroe, who top scored for Leeds with 19 goals as they won the EFL Championship title last year, knew this was a rare opportunity to shine as he plays second fiddle to Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin this season. But Zetterström dived adroitly to his right to save the spot-kick. The Derby crowd’s euphoric celebration was contagious.
Within two minutes 30 seconds, Corey Blackett-Taylor attempted to cut back inside from the left and, when his attempted shot was blocked, the ball rebounded for Brereton Díaz to angle home a drive into the far corner.
Philippe Clement claimed Josh Sargent refused to play in Norwich’s 5-1 FA Cup victory over Walsall – but insisted the USA striker would not be leaving Carrow Road during the transfer window.
The Canaries dominated their League Two opponents from start to finish, with Jovon Makama (pictured) leading the way with a hat-trick to take his tally for the season to 12.
“Josh sent me a message yesterday evening saying he would not be available because of transfer things in his head,” Clement said of a player linked with a move to Major League Soccer’s Toronto. “This is obviously not something we want, and will have consequences … The club has made it really clear to Josh and his agent that he will not be leaving.”
Nigel Clough praised the way his Mansfield team rewarded their supporters in their 4-3 victory at Sheffield United. Louis Reed scored twice against his old club, with Lucas Akins and Rhys Oates also on target, while United’s goals came from Gus Hamer, Patrick Bamford and a Nathan Moriah-Welsh own goal. The hosts had a penalty appeal waved away late on when Bamford went down under a challenge.
Clough said: “When you bring nearly 5,000 fans, although it’s just up the road, there’s a responsibility to put on a performance and have a go, and the players certainly did that. I thought the quality of the four goals we scored – their first one as well – was outstanding.”
United boss Chris Wilder was left to rue “individual errors” which proved costly. He said: “More than disappointing. I didn’t pick a team to get knocked out of the cup.”
Ollie Bostock kept his cool to hammer home the winning penalty in a shootout win at Swansea to bring to an end West Brom’s run of 10 successive away defeats. Having set up a goal for Jed Wallace in extra time to give his side a 2-1 lead, he hit the target following three successive misses to make it 6-5 in the shootout after the teams had been locked at 2-2 after extra time.
Dillon Phillips was the hero as Hull defeated Blackburn 4-3 on penalties after a drab goalless draw. Phillips saved Rovers’ first two attempts from Yuki Ohashi and Moussa Baradji. Hull’s Lewie Coyle was thwarted by Blackburn’s Balazs Toth but Kyle Joseph, Oli McBurnie, Charlie Hughes and David Akintola were all on target. PA Media
Zetterström continued his heroics, saving superbly from another drive by Piroe, who responded to his penalty miss by becoming increasingly influential. The stage appeared set for a resounding second half. That prospect was dulled by two Leeds goals within four second-half minutes, though.
The spice behind this fixture dates back to the 1970s, when the clubs vied at the top of the old First Division and Brian Clough went from building a title-winning side with Derby to lasting only 44 days at Leeds. The rivalry was so intense it spawned the novel The Damned Utd, the film of which perhaps needed a sequel after the 2019 spying episode.
John Eustace joked in the buildup that he had sent his analysts up to watch Leeds train, as Bielsa had done before the teams’ Championship playoff semi-final in May 2019. Frank Lampard’s celebrations after Derby won that second leg at Elland Road only helped reignite the rivalry.
This game was feisty enough, after Derby went ahead, with Gnonto in particular coming in for some fierce tackles from the Derby defenders, though there was no sign of any of the fisticuffs for which Norman Hunter and Franny Lee were sent off in November 1975.
Eustace admitted his team tired in the second half, as Lewis Travis, the returning captain, had to go off after 11 weeks out with a calf injury, but was proud of their efforts and glad of the experience for the debutants Oscar Fraulo, signed from Borussia Mönchengladbach, and the academy graduate Owen Eames, and players returning from injury.
Farke, whose position was being questioned in November, was satisfied with his team’s performance after the first 20 minutes. “I told them at half-time to ‘stay cool, the goal will come’,” he said.
Gnonto blasted home the equaliser, after Piroe stepped over Jaka Bijol’s pass. Within four minutes, a sweet Leeds move ended with Zetterström only being able to palm aside Piroe’s shot from the edge of the area, and Tanaka turned in the rebound.
Leeds did not let their grip on this game slip for the remaining half hour and, in stoppage time, Justin turned home Nmecha’s squared pass as Leeds broke rapidly.
