A question for Leeds United fans. Given the choice, would you rather win the FA Cup and be relegated, or survive in the Premier League but go trophyless?
Everyone knows what the club executives would decide and who can blame them? Given the financial gap between the top flight and the Championship, and the relatively small financial rewards on offer for winning the Cup, the prospect of relegation is too grim to be contemplated for those in the boardroom.
The game should still be about glory, though. Even in the world of VAR (more on which later), PSR, SCR and whichever other acronyms you care to choose. Even in a game dominated by 35-strong backroom teams, set-piece coaches and ludicrous ticket prices.
Leeds have won the FA Cup only once, in 1972. Since they lifted the last First Division title in 1992, Portsmouth, Wigan, Birmingham, Crystal Palace, Swansea, Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Leicester have all won major trophies.
Fans of Portsmouth and Wigan have seen their clubs go to the brink of ruin since they lifted the Cup in 2008 and 2013, yet nobody can take those historic days away from them. Supporters keep this game alive and many with Leeds in their hearts would surely pick a trophy over finishing 17th year after year.
First-half goals from Sean Longstaff and Gabriel Gudmundsson and a late third from Joel Piroe helped Leeds into the last eight for the first time since 2003 and they moved over the finishing line without ever really hitting full throttle. With Port Vale and Southampton still in the draw, Leeds will be eyeing a trip to Wembley.
Leeds United reached the FA Cup quarter-final with a 3-0 win over Norwich City at Elland Road
Sean Longstaff put the hosts ahead in the first half with a superb volley on the turn
Gabriel Gudmundsson (right) made it two before half-time as he scored his first goal for Leeds
With nine changes to their starting XI and boss Daniel Farke absent from the touchline, it was hardly a surprise that Leeds looked confused in the opening 20 minutes.
Farke was confined to the directors’ box as he served a one-match touchline ban for his exchange with the officials after last weekend’s home defeat by Manchester City and he would not have liked his team’s listless opening to the game.
Within the first two minutes alone, Wilfred Gnonto, Ethan Ampadu and Gudmundsson all lost their footing, as Leeds passed the ball backwards and sideways without causing Norwich any problems at all. Under Philippe Clement, the visitors are one of the Championship’s form sides and early on they looked comfortable.
Just as the home fans were starting to become grouchy, Leeds thought they had taken the lead. Trying to stop Gnonto collecting Jaka Bijol’s long ball over the top, Rauri McConville and goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw found themselves in a frightful tangle.
The ball ran loose and Lukas Nmecha turned it into an empty net – only for VAR to intervene and rule it out because the ball had glanced off Gnonto’s forearm as he challenged for it.
Nmecha was leading the attack in the absence of top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who was not even on the bench with Leeds saying he was rested.
The problem with VAR’s nitpicking is that whenever the gang at Stockley Park intervene on a marginal call, every subsequent 50-50 decision becomes unnecessarily contentious.
Both Nmecha and Ampadu would demand penalties later in the half, doubtless fuelled by the decision to cancel Nmecha’s goal.
Joel Piroe capped off the victory late on with his first goal of the season as Leeds marched on
Leeds boss Daniel Farke watched the game from the stands as he served a touchline ban
Philippe Clement’s side have been in superb form but they were well-beaten by Leeds
Yet in a strange way, the setback was exactly what Leeds needed. Before the incident, the supporters had appeared a little bored but now they had something to rail against and they roared their team on.
Nmecha looked to have been pushed in the back as he tried to convert Dan James’ cross and after referee Darren England shook his head, the Leeds players and fans really were ticking.
The whole team moved up a gear and suddenly Norwich could not cope. After a period of sustained pressure, Gnonto slipped in Gudmundsson and Longstaff controlled the Swede’s cross with his left foot and volleyed past Grimshaw with his right.
Along with Ampadu, Gudmundsson was one of only two players retained from Farke’s preferred Premier League XI and it was clear he needed no rest. A constant thorn in Norwich’s side, Gudmundsson had his reward when James’ cross deflected off Sam Field and dropped perfectly for him to stab in the second from 10 yards.
Leeds did not carry this momentum through to the second half, however, and they nearly paid the price.
Errol Mundle-Smith escaped down the left and his cross-shot deflected off the near post and ran to fellow substitute Anis Ben Slimane, whose effort missed the target with Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka in close attendance.
Against Manchester City last weekend, Leeds fans had booed when the game was paused to allow players observing Ramadan to break their fast. The club appealed to supporters not to do the same here and this time there was no reaction at all when Piroe and Norwich attacker Ali Ahmed took on food and drink by the touchline.
Shortly afterwards, Piroe’s 30-yard effort was tipped on to the bar by Vladan Kovacevic, who had replaced Grimshaw at half-time. Piroe did register five minutes from time when he stroked Nmecha’s pass into the far corner from 15 yards.
