Leeds defeated Championship side Norwich 3-0 at Elland Road to reach their first FA Cup quarter-final since 2003.
After a day that shocked the FA Cup with Southampton’s win over Fulham and Port Vale’s success against Sunderland, all eyes were on Elland Road to see if Norwich could follow up their EFL opponents with a win against Leeds.
But first-half goals from Sean Longstaff (32) and Gabriel Gutmundsson (43) gave Daniel Farke’s side complete control over the Leeds manager’s former side.
Norwich failed to get a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes and although they improved in the second half, Joel Pillow’s goal late on put the game in jeopardy as Leeds progressed to the last eight for the first time in 23 years.
Leeds returned to winning ways after consecutive Premier League defeats that left them three points above the relegation zone, but Norwich were unable to repeat their good form in all competitions, winning nine of their past 11 games.
How Leeds got past Norwich…
Gabriel Gutmundsson celebrates his goal with Xhaka Bihor and Willy Gnont
Farke, who twice led Norwich to promotion to the Premier League and reached the last eight of the FA Cup with Norwich six years ago, watched from the stands as he received a one-match suspension for a red card in last week’s home defeat to Manchester City.
After a slow start, Lucas Nmeka curled home a deflected ball from inside the penalty area, but the goal was canceled due to VAR intervention for a handball by Willy Gnont, who challenged Norwich goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw in the build-up.
However, the Premier League side eventually took a deserved lead in the 32nd minute. Gutmundsson darted into the area on Gnont’s pass and pulled the ball back to Longstaff, who with a great first touch volleyed home his first goal since September.
Longstaff shoots on the turn and Leeds take the lead.
Norwich responded quickly with Ali Ahmed’s low shot, but Leeds were soon back on the offensive when Gnont’s header was ruled out for offside.
The traveling fans would have been disappointed by the in-form side’s passive first half, but things got even worse for the visiting side when Leeds scored their second goal two minutes before half-time. The Canaries were again unable to deal with a low cross from James and Gudmundsson pounced on from 10 yards to score his first goal for the club.
Norwich improved early in the second period, with Liam Gibbs scoring wayward from inside the area and Lucas Perry easily collecting Kenny McLean’s low shot (his first shot on target).
Pillow and Norwich winger Ahmed had drinks to break their Ramadan fast in the 63rd minute, with the visitors replacing Jack Stacey, Anis Ben Suliman and Errol Mandl-Smith.
Joel Pillow scores Leeds’ third goal against Norwich
Slimane then squandered a chance for the visitors with a shot into the side netting at the far post, but Pillow’s 20-yard shot hit the crossbar in the 71st minute.
Pillow added Leeds’ third goal after a quick counter-attack, with Nmeka and substitute Anton Stac combining to put Leeds ahead in the lead as Leeds progressed to the last eight for the first time since 2003 under Terry Venables.
Falke looks forward to ‘important weeks’ ahead
Leeds manager Daniel Farke told TNT Sports:
“Today we were favorites to win but you just have to look at what happened elsewhere, the teams around us in the (Premier League) table rotated out today.
“I can’t complain at all. We were able to spend some important time in the tank for some players and let others rest.
“Sometimes it’s OK to have two or three changes in the core team. If you rotate nine positions, you need time. We deserved to be up 2-0. The game management in the second half could have been better, but overall we didn’t concede many chances.
“It was an important win for us. Victories always give confidence. The spirit of the group, everyone keeps going. Today some players had a chance to shine and that’s important for us as a group.”
“Aside from us, only seven teams can win the FA Cup. It may not be realistic for us. We are on a good path and are looking forward to the upcoming games and important weeks for us.”
Clement: Part of the Norwich Journey
Norwich City head coach Philip Clement told TNT Sport:
“There have been ups and downs, and for many of the players it was their first time playing at this level.
“It was difficult to adapt to the intensity. In the second half we played much better and created chances.
“This is a very young team who were playing relegation football in the Championship three months ago, but I’m sure they will grow from here. This is part of the journey they have to take to get to this level they aspire to.”
When is the draw for the FA Cup quarter-finals?
The FA Cup quarter-final draw will take place on Monday, ahead of the final five round match between West Ham and Brentford.
The lottery is scheduled to start around 7:05 p.m.
The ball numbers are as follows.
Southampton Port Baleman City Leeds Arsenal Liverpool Chelsea West Ham or Brentford
