Half time in extra time: West Ham 2-2 Leeds
Justin’s free-kick is a stinker and goes behind for a goal kick. Peep peep!
105+2 min Walker-Peters pulls back Gnonto and is booked. Free-kick to Leeds just outside the area on the left wing…
105+1 min It’s level on attempts at goal as well: West Ham 20-20 Leeds.
105 min Bogle is excellently challenged on the edge of the area by Diouf and West Ham are off on the break. Adama slaloms this way and that before finding the overlapping Diouf… who slices a weary, ill-conceived shot wide of the near post.
104 min Justin’s long free-kick from the halfway line is well claimed by Areola.
101 min: Bowen hits the post again!
Bowen receives a short pass 25 yards from goal and launches an spectacular shot that thumps off the inside of the post. The ball runs loose and is turned in by Pablo – but he was well offside when Bowen took the shot. Both Nuno Espirito Santo and Danny Dyer were off celebrating, oblivious to the fact the flag had gone up.
Updated
100 min: Vital save by Lucas Perri! Fernandes breaks into the area on the right and forces as short cross towards Castellanos, whose close-range shot is bravely blocked by Lucas Perri. I think it hit him in the face.
99 min Gruev charges forward with purpose, only to shoot wastefully wide from a tight angle. A cross to Calvert-Lewin was the better option.
95 min At the other end, Walker-Peters’ low drive goes through the legs of a defender and is held by the diving Lucas Perri. Decent save.
93 min: Souceck clears off the line!
Bogle’s driven cross into the six-yard box is half cleared by Walker-Peters, facing his own goal. Gnonto follows up with a low shot that gets through Areola and is kicked off the line by Soucek.
Brilliant from Soucek and also Walker-Peters, who had to intervene with a Leeds player waiting behind him to score.
NO GOAL! West Ham 2-2 Leeds
Castellanos was offside when the ball was lumped forward by Diou, so the goal is ruled out. Yikes.
West Ham equalised in the 95th minute and now they’ve taken the lead in the 91st! A long, bouncing ball was badly misjudged by Lucas Perri, who almost ran past the ball and inadvertently headed it back towards his own goal. Castellanos finished brilliantly on the volley from a tight angle – but there’s a VAR check for offside.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 3-2 Leeds (Castellanos 91)
Taty Castellanos scores after 24 seconds of extra-time!
Updated
91 min Peep peep! Leeds get extra-time under way.
Full time: West Ham 2-2 Leeds
Blimey. All four of West Ham’s matches in this year’s FA Cup have gone to extra-time. That looked nigh-on impossible when they were 2-0 down after 90 minutes, but Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi turned things round.
90+13 min Gruev’s free-kick is headed towards goal by Calvert-Lewin, 15 yards out, and straight into the arms of Areola.
90+12 min There will be two extra minutes of added time because of the VAR check and the like.
90+11 min A long ball is flicked on by Calvert-Lewin, and for a split second it looks like Gnonto is through on goal. But Walker-Peters does superbly to get between Gnonto and the ball before clearing the danger.
90+9 min It was a superb volley from Disasi, beautifully controlled given his leg was at pant-splitting height, but Leeds fans will be mightily aggrieved.
Oddly, though, the potential grievance about 11 minutes of added time doesn’t really apply because West Ham scored both goals inside the first six minutes.
90+8 min When the goal went in, the TV director cut to Danny Dyer, who said – and I’m not making this up – “you fakkin…” before the picture hastily returned to events on the field.
GOAL GIVEN! Blimey, I thought it would be disallowed because Disasi’s foot was really high.
This is ridiculous. Adama’s inswinging cross from the left is met by Disasi, who steers a flying volley into the corner of the net. His foot was really high, though, and I think he made contact with Struijk’s head. There’s an ongoing VAR check…
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 2-2 Leeds (Disasi 90+6)
West Ham have scored twice in added time to level the tie!
Updated
90+6 min There have been quite a few stoppages in the second half. Even so, nobody expected 11 minutes of added time, so we’ll hear plenty about that should West Ham equalise.
West Ham have hope. An overhit cross from Adama was superbly controlled by Bowen, who then slapped a left-foot shot from the edge of the area that beat Lucas Perri and clattered off the inside of the post. The ball ran loose in front of goal and was swept in by Mateus Fernandes.
GOAL! West Ham 1-2 Leeds (Fernandes 90+3)
Hello!
Updated
90+1 min A nice curling cross from Diouf is headed onto the roof of the net by Pablo. A good effort as he was ahead of the near post and almost generated the right strength of flick on the header.
90 min Now Bogle is booked for a foul. Yep, there will be 11 added minutes. Daniel Farke’s reaction suggests he has a Shania Twain song in his head.
Updated
89 min Bogle runs onto a cutback from Aaronson and cracks a rising drive over the bar.
88 min Apparently there will be 11 added minutes, and why not.
85 min The indefatigable Bogle charges past Pablo and is fouled. Leeds have been rampant in the last 10 minutes. The inde
82 min It hasn’t been a perfect day for Leeds: Anton Stach, who went off in the first half with an ankle injury, is apparently on crutches.
81 min Seconds later Bornauw cuts across a stinging long-range shot that is punched over the bar by Areola. Comfortable save.
81 min Gnonto whacks a shot into Disasi after a long run into space on the break. That second goal, which came against the run of play, has given Leeds a second wind.
Updated
80 min By the way, we’ll have live, ball-by-ball coverage of the FA Cup semi-final draw at the end of this game.
Updated
79 min Bogle screws a low ball into Gnonto, six yards out at the near post. He flicks the ball imaginatively behind his standing leg and it rolls fractionally wide oft he far post.
77 min A poor corner from Fernandes goes out for a throw-in on the far side. West Ham have dominated the second half but they look a beaten team now.
GOAL! West Ham 0-2 Leeds (Calvert-Lewin 75 pen)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin whips a decisive penalty into the left corner, with Areola going the wrong way. Leeds are tantalisingly close to their first FA Cup semi-final in 39 years.
Updated
74 min Kilman is booked for the tackle, the right decision as he was at least trying to play the ball.
Updated
73 min: Penalty to Leeds!
Yep, that’s a clear penalty. Aaronson got a slight touch on the ball, possibly not the one he intended, and because of that Kilman wiped him out without touching the ball.
Updated
71 min: VAR check for a Leeds penalty Gnonto plays a through pass to Aaronson, who goes over after a desperate tackle by Kilman.
Craig Pawson gives nothing but this may well be overturned by VAR. I’m not sure Kilman got the ball.
71 min Gruev’s free-kick from the left is spanked over on the half-volley by Struijk. A good effort as he was running away from goal to meet it.
69 min: Triple substitution for Leeds Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Willy Gnonto and Ilia Gruev come on for Lucas Nmecha, Ao Tanaka and the impressive Noah Okafor.
68 min It’s still all West Ham. Adama wins another corner on the left, which is taken buy Fernandes. It’s headed away to the edge of the area, where Bowen whistles a right-foot half-volley that is well blocked by Nmecha.
65 min Leeds haven’t crossed the halfway line in about five minutes… but they do now thanks to a long throw from Lucas Perri. The attack (sic) lasts about four seconds before West Ham come again.
63 min This is West Ham’s best spell of the match, by quite a way. Leeds can’t get out.
62 min: Castellanos hits the post!
Traore, who has switched wings with Bowen, clips an inviting, inswinging cross from the left. It bounces up at the far post towards Castellanos, whose stooping header hits the face of the post!
Castellanos got the wrong side of Struijk, who arguably shoved him into the ball and caused the header to hit the post rather than go into the net. Not sure, I’d like to see it again, but VAR weren’t interested.
Updated
60 min Bowen gets to the byline on the right and screws the ball back to Castellanos, whose first-time shot flies well wide of the near post. It was an awkward chance from a tight angle.
60 min Okafor surges into the area from the left and tries to go outside Disasi, who gets between him and the ball and shepherds it out of play. Good defending.
59 min Both players are okay to continue.
57 min There’s a break in play after an accidental clash of heads between Pablo and Bijol.
56 min West Ham are having more of the ball in the second half, though neither team has had an attempt at goal. I think West Ham’s last effort on target was Bowen’s shot in the 13th minute.
54 min “If it helps, Tim Woods, I’m currently drinking a Worthingtons in a social club in Swansea,” writes Matt Dony. “A world away from hot tubs or iced coffee. Also, football is dead.”
I know it’s been a bad week for Liverpool, but drinking Worthingtons to evoke the cup wins of 2001 and 2003 is a bit sad. Are you gonna down a pint of milk next?
52 min: Leeds substitution A limping Joe Rodon is replaced by Sebastiaan Bornauw. I think Soucek collided with him at the corner which led to the Adama break and foul by Ampadu.
51 min Castellanos is flagged offside – it was really tight – but carries on and waves an outrageous half-volley into the net. I’d like to see that again as it looked tight, though the whistle had gone so VAR couldn’t get involved.
51 min Rodon isn’t moving freely but he’s going to continue. Leeds have already lost Anton Stach and don’t want another important player to suffer an injury ahead of the run-in.
50 min “That wasn’t a bad half from West Ham, but our bench has no depth to it,” writes Ian Sargeant. “We’d all like to see Ajala but he played for the under-21s yesterday. Leeds, however, have a few of their bigger hitters in reserve. This is only going to end one way.”
49 min Joe Rodon is also done and needs treatment.
48 min There’s a VAR check for a potential red card. Ampadu was only trying to trip Adama but I think he caught him on the achilles in his follow through. Either way, it’s been checked and cleared.
47 min Adama leads a West Ham break and is taken down without sentiment by Ampadu, who puts his thumb up to acknowledge the inevitable yellow card.
46 min Peep peep!
West Ham are making a double substitution at half-time Tomas Soucek and Pablo are on for Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa. That gives them a stronger, more attacking front six.
Updated
“If that wasn’t a foul on Stach,” writes our own Jacob Steinberg, “then how did Uruguay get a penalty for Ben White’s tackle in the England friendly?”
Will you accept an equation as an answer? VAR x social media = nobody has a clue.
Half-time reading
Half time: West Ham 0-1 Leeds
A few boos at the half-time whistle. Leeds have been the better team and lead through Ao Tanaka’s goal, though it’s hardly been one-way traffic: the Leeds keeper Lucas Perri had to make an outstanding reaction save at 0-0 to deny Taty Castellanos.
45+3 min Bowen hasn’t played badly, he rarely does, but deploying him on the left feels like a waste of West Ham’s best player.
Updated
45+1 min Four minutes of added time. Leeds are well worth their lead.
45 min “Iced coffee?” sniffs Tim Woods. “Iced coffee??? After Matt Dony’s recent hot-tub revelation, I’m beginning to feel the MBM isn’t the bitter-swilling collective of 1990s refugees I’d imagined.”
Not sure why it autocorrect to ‘iced coffee’ from ‘Special Brew’.
Updated
44 min A nice effort from Castelannos, who cushions a ball in from the left on the volley and screws a half-volley over the bar.
40 min Nmecha is booked for a late challenge on Disasi.
39 min: Leeds substitution Brenden Aaronson replaces the injured Anton Stach. I guess he’ll play as the No10 and Tanaka will drop into midfield.
38 min As I contrive to pour iced coffee all over my trousers, Adama volleys high and wide from an impossible angle beyond the far post.
37 min Ampadu’s long throw is nodded on and volleyed over by Nmecha, a tough chance under pressure from Walker-Peters.
36 min Stach is limping round the touchline and doesn’t look in great shape. Kilman was sliding to make a tackle, got their a split-second after Stach and caught him on the ankle.
36 min “Ao Tanaka is such an electric player,” writes Kári Tulinius. “When he’s on the ball there’s always a possibility something brilliant happens. At the very least he’ll cause chaos for the opposing defence. That Hajime Moriyasu only used him as a substitute against England shows how strong Japan are in attack. That Farke doesn’t consider him an automatic starter for Leeds baffles me.”
Japan could/should/will be so much fun at the World Cup.
35 min Stach is still down and receiving treatment to his right ankle.
33 min Leeds break menacingly through Okafor, who runs 40 yards and plays in the onrushing Stach to his right. His shot on the run is pushed round the post by the falling Areola. It’s an excellent save but Stach might have done better.
Stach was wiped out by Kilman after hitting the shot. There was a VAR check but it’s been cleared.
Updated
30 min No response to speak of from West Ham, who have looked good on the counter-attack but less incisive when they have the ball for a sustained spell.
Tanaka’s finish took a big deflection but he worked the space superbly. He started the move himself on the halfway line with a ball out to Justin on the left. Justin found Okafor, who slid an early ball towards Tanaka in the area.
Tanaka shaped to shoot with his right foot, dragged his studs over the ball to beat Magassa and struck a left-foot shot that hit Disasi and ricocheted over Areola.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Leeds (Tanaka 26)
Ao Tanaka fires Leeds in front!
Updated
23 min The lively Okafor runs at Walker-Peters to win a corner. It’s swung in and punched away, effectively if not entirely convincingly, by Areola. Doesn’t matter: the referee had blown for a free-kick to West Ham.
21 min Bogle’s shot on the turn is blocked by Diouf.
21 min Leeds have been the dominant team in open play yet Lucas Perri has had to make two important saves to Areola’s one. It’s complicated.
20 min Nmecha turns Kilman smartly and is pulled back. Stach has a pop from 40 yards, an ambitious effort that is booted away on the edge of the area.
13 min There’s the proof, a terrific West Ham counter-attack that almost leads to the opening goal. Adama goes on a barnstorming run from the right and finds Bowen, who fizzes a low shot from the left side of the area. Lucas Perri gets down smartly to his left to push it away.
I forgot to say that Bowen has started on the left with Adama on the right.
Updated
11 min Leeds are dominating possession – 66 per cent the last time I checked – though a Nuno Espirito Santo teams are often most dangerous when they don’t have the ball.
Updated
7 min That Lucas Perri save looks better every time you see it. The reaction time was almost non-existent.
6 min: Brilliant save by Lucas Perri!
Bowen gets away on the left side of the area and slides a low cross that is poked towards goal by Castellanos, four yards out. Lucas Perri gets down to his left to make an outstanding reaction save.
Updated
3 min Leeds have made a flying start. Areola dithers in possession and is dangerously close to being sacked by Okafor.
2 min: Fine save by Areola!
A long throw from Ampadu is only partially cleared. Okafor collects on the edge of the area and shapes a curling shot towards the far corner, forcing Areola to dive low to his left and fingertip the ball round the post. That’s a cracking save, especially so early in the game.
2 min “Any news on why Callum Wilson isn’t in the West Ham squad?” asks Ian Sargeant.
Fraid not.
1 min West Ham kick off from left to right as we watch. You’ll be pleased to hear that national treasure Danny Dyer is in attendance at the London Stadium.
“If he organisers are trying to recapture some of the long-faded ‘magic of the cup’, they’ll need to turn the pitch at Wembley into a quagmire for any potential meeting of Chelsea and Leeds,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “The 1970 FA Cup final was famously played the day after the Horse of the Year Show, and looked more suited to WWI trench warfare than a football match, even one in the 70s. May I suggest that England’s national stadium offer to host Ireland’s National Ploughing Championships on the same week?”
Nuno Espirito Santo’s pre-match thoughts
Unfortunately we had some issues during the international break – we have some players who are not available or still recovering – but we are positive. At this stage of the season all the players are important.
It’s a big game for all of us, for our fans. We are positive – the players want to play the game.
Plenty going on elsewhere today, including a mighty shock in the Women’s FA Cup and another twist in the Scottish title race.
Pre-match quiz
Daniel Farke’s pre-match thoughts
At this stage of the season it’s never healthy for a group if you have three weeks without a competitive game. We had some players in action during the international break so it makes sense to rest all the others [who haven’t been playing].
It’s more than two decades since Leeds were in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup so we take this game very seriously.
[On Leeds’ failure to score in four of the last five games] For a newly promoted we have scored a lot of goals overall. We’ve also had three clean sheets in a row which is also important to me. During a long season it’s normal to have a period when you score goal after goal and sometimes you are struggling a bit.
“If ‘both teams could arguably do without this game’, then the FA Cup has fallen in importance even more than I thought,” writes Gary Stover. “Would the fans like to see a Leeds-Chelsea rematch at Wembley even if only a semi-final? Would the Southampton followers rather finish sixth in the Championship or go back to a final at Wembley? Hopefully the players of all five teams left will simply try to do what they do best and win whatever game is before them. I actually think that’s what will happen.”
Why Football Sucks in ‘26.
Team news
Both managers have picked but not full-strength XIs, with five changes for West Ham and three for Leeds.
West Ham bring in Alphonse Areola, Kyle Walker-Peters, Max Kilman, Soungoutou Magassa and Adama Traore for Mads Hermansen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Kostas Mavropanos, Tomas Soucek and Pablo.
Lucas Perri, Ao Tanaka and Noah Okafor start for Leeds in place of Karl Darlow, Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
West Ham (4-2-3-1) Areola; Walker-Peters, Kilman, Disasi, Diouf; Magassa, Potts; Bowen, Fernandes, Traore; Castellanos.
Subs: Herrick, Pablo, Lamadrid, Soucek, Scarles, Kante, Golambeckis, Mayers, Ajala.
Leeds United (3-4-1-2) Lucas Perri; Rodon, Bijol, Struijk; Bogle, Ampadu, Stach, Justin; Tanaka; Okafor, Nmecha.
Subs: Darlow, Byram, Bornauw, Longstaff, Gruev, Aaronson, Gnonto, Piroe, Calvert-Lewin.
Referee Craig Pawson.
Updated
As Leeds travel to West Ham for an FA Cup quarter-final both teams could arguably do without, one thing is not in doubt: Daniel Farke knows how to read a balance sheet. As the holder of an MA in economics and a diploma in sporting directorship, the Leeds manager needs no reminders that, financially, avoiding relegation is infinitely more important than trying to win the FA Cup. “The Premier League’s our bread and butter,” he said on Thursday . “It’s our priority.”
There is, though, another side to Farke. Away from the training pitches at Thorp Arch, one of the German’s preferred ways of switching off is to spend hours reading on his sofa, transported to different worlds through his love of literary fiction. His favourite novels include Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Given Farke fully appreciates the best managers are, in a different context, similarly expert storytellers, can he resist pursuing a plot line that may just conclude with a survival and Cup glory double? Achieve that and the Elland Road hierarchy would find it very hard to resist furnishing the 49-year-old with the new contract he craves.
Preamble
And then there were five. Manchester City, Chelsea and Southampton are through to the FA Cup semi-final; either West Ham or Leeds will join them this evening.
There’s been a slightly strange build up to this game, with the focus as much on the Premier League – both teams are in a relegation battle and will meet on the last day of the season – as the FA Cup.
When the game starts, that should all go out the window. The historical context makes this a seriously big game. West Ham haven’t played in an FA Cup semi-final since 2006, Leeds since 1987. In that context, this match is kind of a big deal.
Kick off 4.30pm.
