Daniel Farke’s Leeds United are in the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years, though the manner of how they got there on Sunday will give the manager plenty to think about between now and Wembley. Leeds led West Ham 2-0 deep into stoppage time at the London Stadium, before watching the Premier League relegation-battlers score twice in the final 11 minutes to force extra time — then defeated them on penalties to seal a date with Chelsea at the national stadium.
The afternoon started with real promise for Leeds. Japanese midfielder Ao Tanaka broke the deadlock on 26 minutes with a strike that flew in off the underside of the crossbar, a finish of real technical quality that gave West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola no chance. It was exactly the kind of authoritative start that a Championship side needed against top-flight opposition, and Leeds looked well in control of the tie for long stretches of the second half.
Max Kilman was a persistent headache for West Ham throughout the afternoon, picking up a yellow card after a reckless challenge on Anton Stach in the box — VAR reviewing the incident before awarding Leeds a penalty. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, freshly introduced as a substitute, stepped up and converted coolly to make it 2-0 with 15 minutes remaining. At that point, thousands of West Ham supporters began filtering out of the London Stadium, resigned to a cup exit.
What happened next was one of those strangely beautiful FA Cup moments that make the competition impossible to ignore. With three minutes of injury time played, West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen struck the post from close range before Mateus Fernandes reacted to net the rebound and halve the deficit. The ground erupted, and Leeds suddenly looked rattled. Six minutes later, the unthinkable: Adama Traore’s cross met by the diving boot of Axel Disasi to send the match into extra time in the 96th minute. The fans who had left early will never forgive themselves.
Extra time brought further drama when Areola suffered an injury during the period of additional play, forcing 20-year-old fourth-choice goalkeeper Finlay Herrick into the shootout for his first-team debut — a moment of sporting theatre that would have been scripted out as too far-fetched. Herrick actually saved the first penalty from Joel Piroe, momentarily threatening to make Leeds’ evening even more complicated.
But Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri proved the more composed shot-stopper, denying both Bowen and Pablo Felipe in the shootout to send Leeds through 4-2 on penalties. Pascal Struijk scored the decisive kick and spoke directly about the occasion. “I can’t say I practice too much but I had experience last season,” he said. “We showed great composure at 2-2 to win on penalties. We need to work on what happened after 2-0, but we’ve got time to prepare for Wembley.”
That question — what happened between 2-0 and the final whistle — is the one Farke will need answered before April 25. Surrendering a two-goal lead in injury time is a pattern of play that carries real concern heading into a Wembley semi-final against Chelsea, who have been building momentum under Liam Rosenior. The talent is clearly there; it’s the maturity of performance management that needs work at crucial moments.
The significance of the achievement shouldn’t be undersold, however. Leeds in an FA Cup semi-final for the first time since 1987 is a genuine moment for supporters of the club, who have spent years watching their side oscillate between divisions. Whatever happens at Wembley, reaching the last four in the competition’s most storied knockout format is a marker of genuine progress under Farke’s management this season.
The semi-final draw places Leeds against Chelsea at Wembley, with Manchester City facing Southampton in the other tie, across April 25 and 26. For a team still battling to preserve their top-flight status with games running out, having Wembley to look forward to might just be the morale boost they need.