Leeds Reach FA Cup Semi-Finals for First Time in 39 Years

Lucas Perri saved penalties from Jarrod Bowen and Pablo as Leeds United reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1987, recovering from a stunning late collapse to beat West Ham United 4-2 in a shootout at the London Stadium.

Daniel Farke's side looked destined for the last four when they led 2-0 deep into stoppage time, only for West Ham to score twice in 11 added minutes. Mateus Fernandes pulled one back in the 93rd minute before Axel Disasi, who had earlier deflected Ao Tanaka's effort into his own net for Leeds' opener, completed the extraordinary turnaround in the 96th to force extra time. Two further West Ham goals were disallowed during the additional 30 minutes, and when the tie went to penalties, Perri proved decisive. Pascal Struijk converted the winning spot-kick to send Leeds to Wembley.

The win ends a 39-year wait. Leeds' last FA Cup semi-final came on April 12, 1987, a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Coventry City at Hillsborough in front of 51,372 supporters. The only silverware in the club's FA Cup history arrived in 1972, when Don Revie's side beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley. That remains the last time Leeds won a competitive final of any kind, a drought now stretching more than five decades.

The path Sunday was anything but straightforward. Japanese midfielder Tanaka opened the scoring in the 26th minute, his effort deflecting off Disasi. Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 75th minute, and at that point the tie appeared over. What followed was among the most dramatic finales of this season's competition, with West Ham's two stoppage-time goals forcing Leeds to hold their nerve through extra time and into a shootout they ultimately controlled through Perri's reflexes.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the final whistle, Farke said: "We want to achieve unrealistic goals, and we are on the right path to do this." He added: "We showed great composure at 2-2 to win on penalties." In the days before the match, the German manager had framed the tie in explicitly historic terms, urging the club to "make history" and noting that a semi-final would be "another chapter of history for this club because we haven't been there for such a long time."

The draw has added its own resonance. The Leeds-Chelsea semi-final at Wembley on the weekend of April 25-26 is a direct replay of the 1970 FA Cup final, which Chelsea won after a replay and which former Chelsea star Joe Cole once described as "probably the dirtiest game in FA Cup history." If Leeds advance, they will face either Manchester City or Southampton in the May 16 final.

The stakes extend beyond cup glory. Both Leeds and West Ham are currently battling Premier League relegation, and Farke has positioned the cup run as fuel for a survival push rather than a distraction from it. A club that has not lifted a competitive trophy since 1972 is now one result from Wembley's biggest stage.