Daniel Farke revelled in making history for Leeds after a “crazy” FA Cup quarter-final at West Ham.
The Whites reached the last four of this competition for the first time in 39 years – but only after a penalty shootout, having blown a two-goal lead in stoppage time.
Thousands of West Ham fans left early as the clock ticked round to 90 minutes after goals from Ao Tanaka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put the visitors 2-0 up.
But those who left prematurely missed a cast-iron cup classic, starting with an astonishing comeback as goals from Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi forced a 2-2 draw and extra time.
They also missed 20-year-old fourth-choice goalkeeper Finlay Herrick thrown on for his debut in the shootout after Alphonse Areola went down injured at the death.
Herrick saved the first spot-kick from Joel Piroe, but Leeds keeper Lucas Perri denied Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Felipe to send Leeds through 3-2 on penalties.
A breathless Farke said: “At least I’m old enough that I was already born when there was the last semi-final for Leeds United in the FA Cup in the 80s.
“It was a crazy game and it has cost lots of energy, but in the FA Cup quarter-final both teams are able to fight for quite another piece of history for the club.
“To reach, for the first time since a while, the semi-final, the game should be like this with ups and downs and setbacks.
“We could have made our life a bit easier after an excellent start to the game. But West Ham is also a Premier League side who is of course giving everything and trying everything to come back into the game.”
West Ham averted some controversy after they backed down on a decision, taken by the safety officer before the match, that a penalty shootout would not taken in front of the end housing 9,000 Leeds fans due to “safety concerns”.
As it was, the coin toss went West Ham’s way anyway, but Farke added: “You could imagine what I think about such a situation.
“How (do) we play here in the Olympic Stadium – also the stadium where the stand is probably furthest away from the pitch, if then a safety officer signed such a document to have the advantage to have the penalty shootout in front of their supporters? But I won’t comment about this.”
West Ham fans who left early aren’t being allowed back in pic.twitter.com/hAQyiSRcDI
— Andy Sims (@AndyCSims) April 5, 2026
Stoppage time, extra time and the shootout were played out in front of a half-empty stadium after the exodus of home fans.
“What I saw on the pitch was more important than anything,” said boss Nuno Espirito Santo, whose side have a crucial relegation clash with Wolves on Friday.
“What I saw was a group of players, a group of boys that didn’t give up. This is the major lesson that we have to take from today.”
