Leeds United came back from two goals down as they produced one of the close football results of the weekend in the FA Cup. Leeds appeared to be in for more FA Cup third-round misery after goals from Jaden Philogene and Sheyi Ojo in the first half. However, Rodrigo cut the deficit in half with a close-range header, and three minutes into added time, England U19 international Perkins squeaked the ball home from close range after the Spanish substitute had been rejected from the spot-kick and Cardiff had lost Joel Bagan to a red card.
The match brought back memories of Cardiff’s legendary third-round triumph over Leeds in 2002, when David O’Leary’s team was leading the Premier League. At the time, Cardiff was playing in the third division, but a wild Ninian Park witnessed one of the greatest upsets in the league when Scott Young scored late. Around 6,500 Leeds fans crammed the section behind one of the goals at Cardiff City Stadium to create an amazing atmosphere, including former defender Young, who was one of the guests welcomed back for the day.
Cardiff had gone nearly six hours without scoring, despite having the fewest goals in the Championship with 20 in 26 games. But after 24 minutes, their goalless streak was broken as Mark Harris dribbled past a snoozing Pascal Struijk and forced a save from a charging Joel Robles. When the ball broke to Isaak Davies, his shot was blocked, but the ball squirted to Philogene, who nailed it from six yards out. Just after the halfway point, seven minutes later, Cardiff extended their lead. Once again, Robles was defeated by a superb finish into the roof of the net after Andy Rinomhota’s floating pass this time left Ojo unguarded.
Leeds’ increasing annoyance was evident when Wilfried Gnonto received a booking for simulation and then missed the target with a misdirected header. Jesse Marsch didn’t make his first replacements, a quadruple change, until just past the hour mark. The situation was saved by the midweek additions of Max Wober, Rodrigo, and Cody Drameh, who is currently Cardiff’s player of the year after spending last season on loan in south Wales.
Struijk missed a goal opportunity when it seemed easier to score, but the move nearly paid dividends right away. Rodrigo met Sam Greenwood’s chipped cross with a close-range header, which Jak Alnwick got a firm touch to but couldn’t stop, to cut the lead in half for Leeds after 65 minutes. Ten minutes before the end, Bagan dove to deflect Junior Firpo’s goal-bound shot around the post, giving Leeds the opportunity to take control of the game in the Cardiff half. Alnwick made the perfect judgment to go to his right, deflecting Rodrigo’s kick and rekindling Cardiff’s desire to claim a Premier League victory. However, the opposition persisted in pressing, and Leeds—whose 18-year-old player Perkins had only been on the field for eight minutes at that point—forced a replay deep into stoppage time.
“We weren’t in rhythm and weren’t aggressive enough the entire first half. We didn’t fully comprehend the requirements for this game and this event. Improved tactical knowledge, skill, and awareness of the requirements for each match are necessary,” Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch said. “With the draw, we know we have a chance to return to Elland Road, and everything is laid out in front of us. If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that if you don’t come up and aren’t prepared to play right away, you’re going to get into trouble on your own.”
“First and foremost, my overwhelming emotion is one of pride for the effort we put in against a strong Leeds team,” Cardiff manager Mark Hudson said. “The strategy we used was sound. We looked in decent form. When we could, we replied and irritated them. Two excellent goals were scored by us. In the second half, we knew we would struggle. They have a tonne of skill to use as substitutes.”
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