That’s all from me. Here’s the match report again, and keep an eye out for blogs on the fourth round draw and on Nottingham Forest v Arsenal. Bye!
Jacob Steinberg was at the London Stadium to witness West Ham’s victory, and here’s his match report:
After sailing a little too close to the wind during their 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace, West Ham happily accepted an afternoon free of drama. Manuel Lanzini gave them the lead at the end of a drab first half and David Moyes’s side cruised from there, comfortably keeping Leeds United at arm’s length and sealing their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to a professional and mature display.
For Moyes, satisfaction came from seeing his side keep a first clean sheet since 12 December. Leeds kept plugging away in the second half, Jack Harrison and Dan James both spurning chances to force extra-time, but West Ham rarely looked uneasy. Declan Rice was typically outstanding in central midfield, Lanzini coolly scored his third goal in his last two games and Michail Antonio was a barnstorming presence in attack, racing clear during stoppage time to set up Jarrod Bowen’s clincher.
Much more here:
Jarrod Bowen is asked about the first goal, but hasn’t seen it back and seems to have absolutely no idea about why anyone’s discussing it:
I think we dominated a lot of the game. We stuck in there at 1-0 and then at the end got the goal to put the game to bed. I think I’m being more consistent this season. I want to push myself to the very top and the sky’s the limit. I’ve just got to keep working hard and keep putting in performances week in, week out.
This afternoon’s FA Cup scores, with the weekend’s final fixture, between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal, due to get under way in just over an hour:
Cardiff 1-1 Preston (extra time being played)
Charlton 0-1 Norwich
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Luton 4-0 Harrogate
Stoke 2-0 Leyton Orient
Tottenham 3-1 Morecambe
West Ham 2-0 Leeds
Wolves 3-0 Sheffield United
Final score: West Ham United 2-0 Leeds United
90+5 mins: It’s all over! West Ham were just that bit better than Leeds and whether their first goal should have stood or not, they deserve a place in round four. Marcelo Bielsa still hasn’t won an FA Cup game.
Updated
90+5 mins: Andriy Yarmolenko is going to get three seconds of action after replacing Antonio.
GOAL! West Ham 2-0 Leeds United (Bowen, 90+3 mins)
That finishes it! West Ham break through Antonio, who runs down the right, draws the only two defenders and slides a pass to Bowen that looks a bit overhit but Meslier still hasn’t got back to his line, looks horribly exposed, and is helpless as Bowen sidefoots past him!
90+3 mins: Areola reaches the corner first, and punches clear.
90+3 mins: Leeds have a corner. Meslier comes up for it.
90+1 mins: There will be four bonus additional stoppage-related minutes.
90 mins: Antonio and Bowen have a two-on-two in attack, but Antonio runs the ball into Koch and that’s the end of that.
88 mins: What a chance for Leeds! They work the ball across the edge of the area to Harrison, whose low cross seems to be heading straight to Dawson, is somehow completely missed by Dawson, and poor Dan James behind him is completely astonished by this development and has no chance to react in time to do anything other than deflect the ball wide.
86 mins: West Ham win a free kick, wide on the left. Declan Rice has a shot, which had to be absolutely perfect if it was to go in and was very much not.
83 mins: And now Harry Kane’s scored another. Johnson blocks a cross in the West Ham area with the top of his shirt sleeve. It could have been interpreted as a handball, that.
82 mins: Spurs take the lead against Morecambe, and having equalised thanks to a fluke free kick the (apparent) winner comes from a defensive error as Lucas Moura steals the ball off a defender, runs through on goal, rounds the keeper and strokes into an empty net.
81 mins: Chance! Drameh hits a ludicrous pass across the Leeds defence which is intercepted by Fredericks, who runs into the area, looks up, sees two teammates standing unmarked on the edge of the area, ignores them both and slams a low shot across goal and wide.
78 mins: The game’s second booking goes to Drameh, who was late to challenge Ben Johnson (though didn’t actually appear to touch him).
78 mins: Leo Fuhr Hjelde is replaced by Crysencio Summerville.
76 mins: A first change for the home side sees Pablo Fornals come on for Lanzini.
73 mins: Chance for Leeds! The ball is swung into the area towards Forshaw, comes off a defender and drops to Klich, whose volleyed effort doesn’t go in but does head towards James, who sticks out a foot and prods wide!
Updated
72 mins: Lanzini pulls back Klich and earns himself a booking.
68 mins: Cody Drameh has come on for Firpo. Tottenham have equalised against Morecambe, Harry Winks’ free-kick from wide on the left going over everyone and dipping in at the far post.
66 mins: Junior Firpo is back on the floor and shaking his head in a manner that suggests a fourth Leeds substitution might be imminent.
63 mins: West Ham attack down the left flank this time, from where Johnson hits a rubbish cross. Goal kick.
62 mins: A nice run from Fredericks, but a less nice cross. Despite Leeds’ changes, West Ham are looking the more likely scorers at the moment.
60 mins: Another change for Leeds: Luke Ayling comes off, and Adam Forshaw comes on.
58 mins: Vlasic is having a good game, diving excepted, and he drives into the area, sucks the defence towards him, then checks back and tees up Rice for a free shot from 20 yards. Rice gets a little overexcited, though. Goal kick.
57 mins: From the free kick Lanzini’s shot hits the wall and loops into Meslier’s arms.
Updated
55 mins: Vlasic runs towards the Leeds area, cuts back onto his left foot and throws himself to ground. There wasn’t even the vaguest sense of a foul there as he fell over in the vague vicinity of Leo Hjelde, but the referee buys it and West Ham have a shooting chance.
52 mins: And West Ham run up the other end, Antonio outmuscles Llorente and feeds Bowen, whose low right-footer hits Meslier!
Updated
51 mins: Raphinha dances into the area before sidefooting the ball to a defender ...
48 mins: Antonio gets down the left before sending in a low cross that bursts through the area without anyone getting anything on it, despite Bowen’s slide.
46 mins: Peeeeeep! West Ham get the game restarted. Bate and Greenwood have gone off for Leeds.
The players are back out ahead of the second half, and Raphina and Stuart Dallas are both among them.
Here you too can witness ITV’s Jermaine-heavy punditry panel agreeing that the West Ham goal should have been disallowed:
"I thought they were going to pull it back...I think they definitley should have done" ❌
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 9, 2022
Both of the Jermaines agree Lanzini's strike should have been ruled out by VAR but do you agree? 🤔@EmiratesFACup | @WestHam | @LUFC pic.twitter.com/4SWnZAyJZF
Half time: West Ham United 1-0 Leeds United
45+6 mins: Not much between the teams, but West Ham lead by one contentious goal to no goals at all.
45+4 mins: Save! Bowen slides the ball infield to Fredericks, whose first-time shot is too weak to beat Meslier.
45+3 mins: Play is back under way. Here’s a picture taken just before the goal was scored. The VAR’s position, as I understand it, is that Jarrod Bowen is not influencing play here.
Updated
45+1 mins: Three minutes of stoppage time start with a stoppage, as Meslier clatters into Firpo as he claims a cross and both stay down.
44 mins: Antonio is up, and fit to continue. Liverpool have taken the lead at Anfield, Fabinho stylishly converting the penalty after a handball.
42 mins: Antonio is still down, receiving treatment to his right ankle.
Updated
41 mins: Johnson’s low cross runs to Antonio, who shoots wide on the slide from beyond the far post - and then stays down!
40 mins: In other news, Liverpool have now equalised against Shrewsbury.
17 - Aged 17 years and 96 days, Kaide Gordon is the second-youngest goalscorer in Liverpool's history, after only Ben Woodburn v Leeds in November 2016 (17 years 45 days). Dream. #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/cck5dboZks
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 9, 2022
38 mins: Very nice move from West Ham, after Firpo gives the ball to Bowen on the edge of the home penalty area, but it ends with a Fredericks pull-back to a white shirt.
GOAL! West Ham 1-0 Leeds (Lanzini, 35 mins)
36 mins: VAR is having to examine replays from every angle, and it turns out that though Bowen was running right in front of Meslier when it happened, he actually never took a shot or even touched the ball - it was Vlasic having another go. The idea that he wasn’t influencing play seems pretty outlandish, but the goal stands!
Updated
GOAL! Or is it offside!
Vlasic turns Hjelde and runs into the area. Hjelde blocks his shot but the ball breaks to Bowen, whose shot is blocked but the ball breaks to Lanzini, who thumps it in! But was Bowen offside when Vlasic last touched the ball?
Updated
32 mins: Cup shock update:
Goal for Morecambe.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 9, 2022
⚪️ 0-1 🦐 (33’)
27' - Goal. Shrewsbury.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 9, 2022
[0-1]#LIVSHR
31 mins: A chance for Leeds! They attack down the right, Greenwood crosses to James and it comes off a defender and drops to Lewis Bate, who swings his left foot and completely mishits!
27 mins: The home crowd, who might have expected an easy afternoon after seeing the team sheets, briefly falls quiet, prompting inevitable “is this a library?” songs from the away end.
24 mins: The ball definitely hit Hjelde’s left arm, which was already slightly raised. Is it OK because the arm was already raised, or not OK because the reason it was raised was so Hjelde could grab Dawson’s shirt?
23 mins: West Ham toss a free kick into the penalty area, where Craig Dawson battles for it and then abruptly stops, in favour of asking the referee for a handball-related penalty. The referee doesn’t spy anything awry, and neither does the VAR.
20 mins: Now Greenwood tries his luck. He doesn’t have any, and the ball balloons off his left foot and into the stands from 25 yards.
18 mins: Bate curls a left-footer straight at Areola, who catches. Still, it’s a shot on target.
15 mins: Leeds push forwards now, but after James takes the ball to the byline only Greenwood is in the area, nobody else is offering a passing option, and nothing comes of the cross.
13 mins: Close! West Ham push again, and from the edge of the area Antonio’s shot flicks off Llorente’s shin and loops onto the roof of the net.
10 mins: Off the line! Declan Rice goes rampaging down the left wing, just keeps the ball in play and crosses towards Antonio. Koch wins the ball but knocks it down to Bowen, whose first-time shot beats Meslier but is booted away by Ayling!
Updated
7 mins: Quite a low-paced opening as the two teams test each other out. Leeds, for all their changes, their debutants and understudies, have started well enough.
5 mins: The day’s first shot comes from Bowen, who flashes a left-footer wide from 30 yards or so.
Updated
2 mins: Two crossfield balls to Firpo so far. One from Llorente as Leeds tried to play out of defence was excellent, the second from Harrison as they tried to create a shooting chance was not.
1 min: Peeeeep! Leeds have kicked off!
The players are out, and Leeds are about to kick off!
Daniel James is excited:
In the FA Cup anything can happen. I think it’s going to be a great game today, great atmosphere. I think the injuries give a great opportunity for all of us, especially the young boys to play and kick on. Anyone coming in obviously knows our structure. Whatever team both teams put out it’s going to be a good game.
Here’s a first sighting of the Leeds debutant Lewis Bate. On his phone, obviously. Bah, the youth of today, etc and so forth.
David Moyes has a chat with ITV. He’s still miffed about the rescheduled Norwich game - “I don’t think it’s right that our game’s been put midweek but it has been, and we have to get on with it” - but otherwise seems pretty chipper:
It shows how important I think it is to play well against Leeds, because they’re a good team. We want to get through in the Cup but we want to try to do well in the Premier League as well. Everybody would [want to make the final], but I’m guessing all the reporters are asking managers the same question. It’s a long journey, hard games. Today we’ve got a tough game and we have to concentrate on that before we start thinking about finals.
West Ham’s starting XI is perhaps surprisingly strong, while Leeds pick Sam Greenwood, Leo Hjelde and Lewis Bate, three teenagers who have not started a single league game this season between them, as well as Robin Koch, who has made three league appearances, but have strength on the bench.
The teams!
Team sheets have been handed in, and here they are:
West Ham: Areola, Fredericks, Dawson, Diop, Johnson, Rice, Soucek, Bowen, Lanzini, Vlasic, Antonio. Subs: Yarmolenko, Fornals, Noble, Masuaku, Kral, Randolph, Okoflex, Alese, Baptiste.
Leeds: Meslier, Ayling, Llorente, Hjelde, Firpo, Bate, Koch, James, Klich, Harrison, Greenwood. Subs: Forshaw, Raphinha, Klaesson, Dallas, Drameh, Summerville, McCarron, Jenkins, Moore.
Referee: Stuart Attwell.
Here's how we line up today in the #FACup...#WHULEE | @betway pic.twitter.com/chPQYoJ4W9
— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 9, 2022
📋 Your #LUFC Starting XI pic.twitter.com/pLkuJY13HS
— Leeds United (@LUFC) January 9, 2022
Updated
Hello world!
It’s FA Cup third round weekend, a time to revel in fixtures we don’t usually get to see will be able to see again very soon! West Ham v Leeds is on TV twice in a week, with the Hammers’ home Premier League clash against these very same opponents due to kick off precisely seven days after this cup-themed version. Of the two matches, this is the one they’ll be taking a bit less seriously. It’s hard not to conclude that the TV cameras could have been better deployed elsewhere, but these are two well-supported clubs who will guarantee decent viewing figures, so this is where we are.
Marcelo Bielsa goes into his fourth tilt at the FA Cup having never won a single match in the competition, which is a bit bobbins. And with a lengthy injury list to deal with, his chances of improving on that record don’t seem very good. “We always try to win in every official game we have,” Bielsa promised. “There is never a need for added motivation. Every time that the group plays, the desire is always the maximum to win. Every competition is a possibility and we take it in that way. Every game we focus on it with the intention to win it. We’re going to try that the characteristics of our play are expressed and that will allow us to beat them.”
I’ve read the last sentence a dozen times and still have no idea what’s going on.
West Ham will also rejig their line-up, what with having to squeeze a rearranged league game against Norwich between the two Leeds matches and everything. “I’m not really sure yet exactly which way we want to go,” David Moyes said of his team selection for this game. “I think because the Premier League have put the game on Wednesday night, that’s changed the whole dynamics of this FA Cup tie.”
Anyway, we hope for the best, eh? Welcome!
