Leeds are into the FA Cup semi-finals after outlasting West Ham on penalties, with the quarter-final ending 2-2 after extra time before the visitors prevailed 4-2 in the shoot-out. Daniel Farke set his side up in a 3-4-2-1 to absorb pressure and counter, and the approach delivered Leeds' first semi-final appearance under his tenure.
Ao Tanaka opened the scoring in the 26th minute, finishing the move Noah Okafor created down the left channel after Leeds repeatedly attacked the space behind Kyle Walker-Peters. The visitors then lost Anton Stach to an apparent knock in the 38th minute, prompting Brenden Aaronson to come on and reshape the midfield box around Ethan Ampadu’s screening. Leeds kept their structure, weathered Lukas Nmecha’s yellow card in the 40th minute, and reached the interval with Lucas Perri rarely troubled.
Graham Potter responded at half-time. West Ham, still in their 4-2-3-1, introduced Tomáš Souček and Pablo Felipe for Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa, attempting to pin Jayden Bogle and James Justin deep. Ampadu’s booking in the 47th minute seemed to invite the pressure Potter wanted, yet Leeds struck next. VAR confirmed Aaronson had been clipped in the box in the 73rd minute, Max Kilman collected a caution moments later, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the penalty in the 75th minute to double the lead.
The contest ignited in stoppage time. Bogle picked up a yellow card in the first minute of added time as West Ham poured forward. Mateus Fernandes halved the deficit in the third minute of stoppage time after sustained pressure, and Axel Disasi equalised in the sixth minute, turning in Adama Traoré’s delivery. West Ham even saw a Valentín Castellanos header chalked off in the 92nd minute following a VAR review.
Extra time became a test of Leeds' legs against Traoré’s direct running, until Potter made specialist moves at 120 minutes by introducing Ezra Mayers and 19-year-old goalkeeper Finlay Herrick for the shoot-out. Farke had already replaced Bogle with Joël Piroe in the 106th minute to refresh his list of takers, while Potter had turned to Mohamadou Kanté and Oliver Scarles at the same juncture. Sebastiaan Bornauw, on for Joe Rodon since the 52nd minute, helped Jaka Bijol and Pascal Struijk handle the aerial barrage as the clock wound down.
Herrick’s cameo could not shift the outcome. Leeds held their nerve from the spot, winning the shoot-out 4-2 and leaning heavily on Perri, who made four saves across 120 minutes. Walker-Peters collected a yellow card two minutes into the first half of extra time, underlining West Ham’s struggle to restrain Wilfried Gnonto, who had replaced Okafor in the 69th minute and kept drawing fouls in transition.
Key numbers highlight the fine margins: West Ham recorded 22 shots with six on target, 55 percent possession, and eight offsides, while Leeds produced 21 attempts with eight on target and relied on Perri’s four stops. Potter’s side forced seven blocks but squandered the initiative by conceding the penalty and losing their shape late on. Leeds committed 11 fouls to West Ham’s 20, a reflection of how often the hosts went direct. For more on a similarly knife-edge weekend elsewhere, see Monaco vs Marseille.
Leeds now wait on the semi-final draw with confidence building, even as they continue to assess Stach’s injury. West Ham bow out, leaving Potter to recalibrate before the Premier League run-in and manage a squad that emptied itself here. Leeds must channel this momentum quickly, with fixture congestion looming and another high-pressure trip coming in midweek.
