Leeds United suffer another Giant Killing in the FA Cup – how did the latest one happen?

Leeds United have been no stranger to being on the receiving end of FA Cup shocks over the years and they were involved in another one this weekend.

Despite naming a number of regular starters from the off they were humbled 3-0 by League Two Crawley Town which saw Marcelo Bielsa’s side crash out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle.

61 places separated the two sides in the football pyramid prior to kick off which just underlines just how big a shock this was at the weekend, the biggest over the course of the third round, with just two ties left to be completed.

To put the result into perspective, John Yems side are just the second fourth tier side in 34 years to beat a top flight club by three or more goals and the West Sussex club will eagerly be awaiting this evening’s draw for the fourth round which also includes the draw for the fifth round in a change to the usual scheduling.

Due to the current restrictions, the Red Devils were unable to celebrate the victory with their fans or to the full extent they usually would, with the victory never looking in doubt once the West Sussex club took the lead five minutes after half time.

Yems was the man that masterminded the incredible victory over Leeds, this is in his second spell at the club having previously managed the Red Devils in the National League and was recently involved at AFC Bournemouth in the role of football operations manager.

“You’ve got to enjoy these days,” Yems said after the game in the press huddle. “These players have got a lot to prove to the clubs who have released them and we showed what we can do against a really good side in Leeds.

“It wasn’t me versus Bielsa. He does what he does and I do what I do. He was very complimentary afterwards but I suppose if you lose 3-0 you can’t do anything but.”

Nick Tsaroulla was the man who set the game alive, giving his side the lead in the 50th minute, but the 21-year-old hasn’t had a clear path to the pro game.

He suffered an injury in a car crash in 2018 and was then released by Tottenham Hotspur three years ago, but he then joined Brentford’s reserves in 2019 before joining Crawley in October. Yesterday’s clash with Leeds was just the youngster’s seventh appearance in the first team.

“It’s been a long hard road for me, a couple of tough years, but what a moment. I just hope I can inspire somebody else out there, Tsaroulla said when he spoke to the media after the game.

 

Leeds did make seven changes from their Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, allowing rests to the likes of Patrick Bamford, Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling. But they had more than enough quality on the pitch, Rodrigo, Pablo Hernandez and Ian Poveda all started in attack, while England international Kalvin Phillips and captain Liam Cooper started at the heart of the defence.

However, the way in which the Yorkshire side fell apart in the second half will be of real concern for Bielsa who was very reluctant to make many changes over the busy Christmas fixtures and it’s now easy to see why. The second-string side had just one shot on target all afternoon and were far from their best, really struggling to deal with the energy and endevour of Yems’ side, something which you would usually associate with Bielsa’s squad.

The Whites have been involved in several cup shocks over the years, and this will be one which many fans will want to eradicate from their memories.

Attention will now switch back to the Premier League for the rest of the season for the Whites, starting with their clash with Brighton at Elland Road on Saturday. Meanwhile Crawley will look forward to this evening’s fourth round draw, hoping to draw another one of the Premier League’s big boys.

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