April promised to be a decisive month for Leeds United in the battle to avoid the drop. The club were competing on another front, as well, and returned from the international break with a trip to West Ham United in the Emirates FA Cup Quarter-Final.
Bidding to reach the last four for the first time in 1987, the Whites were 2-0 up and cruising at the London Stadium, with the 9,000 strong away contingent revelling about the prospect of a trip to Wembley. Football can be a funny old game, however, and despite having a two-goal cushion, an injury time double for the Hammers sent the tie to extra time and ultimately penalties.
Like in the Fourth Round meeting with Birmingham City, Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Perri was the deciding factor, making two superb saves before Pascal Struijk drilled the winning spot kick in off the post to round off a breathtaking clash in fitting fashion.
Afterwards, man of the moment Perri spoke with LUTV and couldn’t hide his delight, saying: “The magic of the cup, as we all say it, and really happy to experience this moment with the team, the players, the staff, the fans that travel. So it is going to be a really important moment.
“Disappointed with the two goals conceded but we are playing at the highest level of football, so we know that anything can happen and we need to be resilient to a point and keep composure, keep steady and keep playing. So yes, there are a lot of positives to take. Today we celebrate and then focus on the Premier League again.”
The dramatic victory had come at a cost, however. Daniel Farke’s men travelled over the Pennines to face fierce rivals Manchester United depleted, notably missing midfielder Anton Stach and ‘our Welsh warrior’ Joe Rodon after picking up injuries in the capital. With the hosts enjoying a good spell of form under new management, coming away with a result looked a tall order.
Noah Okafor had other ideas. The Swiss international went to Old Trafford on a Monday night and two at the Stretford End later, his place in Leeds United folklore was secure, rubberstamped with a catchy new anthem that would be sung on the terraces for the remainder of the campaign.
“I enjoy it always when I score,” he grinned, discussing the efforts that had brought a first league win at that ground in 45 years. “But for me it was more important and more in the focus to help the team, each and every action, offensive or defensive, to get the three points. We fight for each and every fan, for the coach, for the whole squad.”
The forward’s scintillating form continued next time out as the Whites despatched already-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 at Elland Road. Okafor made it two after James Justin’s acrobatic opener with Dominic Calvert-Lewin adding a third from the spot in injury time.
Safety was within touching distance and another giant step towards that goal was taken on the South Coast. When Bournemouth had visited Elland Road, the hosts had dominated until the visitors scored a last-gasp volley to walk away with a 2-2 draw. This time, the roles reversed and there was midfielder Sean Longstaff to lash in a powerful strike to ensure the spoils were shared.
With four matches left of the Premier League campaign, Leeds had reached the much-discussed 40-point mark and went into the Emirates FA Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea in fine form. It was a frustrating afternoon under the Wembley arch, however, and United never really got going in truth, bowing out of the competition with a narrow one-goal defeat.
“We come away disappointed because obviously we gave our supporters, our second to none fan base so much to dream about and of course we would have loved to let them dream a bit longer,” Farke admitted.
“And after a loss and tight game, you are always a bit disappointed. I think overall it was a very tight game. Could have gone into both directions but it is also fair to say that I think we were not at our free-flowing best in the first half.”
