Fulham v Leeds United Live Commentary & Result, 28/02/2023, FA Cup

That's all from us, we hope you enjoyed the game! Until the next one, goodbye!

Fulham's impressive season continues as they march into the last eight of the FA Cup. It's their first time doing this since 2010 - a season in which they also reached the Europa League final. That's not within their reach this season, but with Wembley on the horizon, Fulham fans may just be daring to dream of a very exciting final few months of the campaign. Leeds will be disappointed not to be progressing, but having played very well for large periods of the game, know that the performance will stand them in good stead for the nail-biting relegation battle that lies ahead.

Antonee Robinson provided a constant threat for Fulham down the left flank, and his energy and pace gave Leeds plenty to handle. The full-back had one shot blocked, completing 91 touches and 17 passes into the final third, including two crosses. Contesting a team-high 13 duels, the US international won eight, including two of three dribbles and aerial contests apiece, and won possession a game-high 12 times, via three tackles, an interception and a clearance, also winning his side a solitary free-kick. Flyer.

It's all over, and two world-class finishes send Fulham into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2010! As if Palhinha's first-half effort wasn't outrageous enough, Solomon's superb curling strike to round off a good move doubled the lead and left Leeds with no way back! The visitors continued to have chances, with Rutter looking particularly lively, but just couldn't find a way through stoic Cottagers defence. Fulham advance at Leeds' expense, and their first season back in the top tier goes from strength to strength at Craven Cottage.

90' + 3' FULL-TIME: FULHAM 2-0 LEEDS UNITED.

90' + 2' WIDE!! Successive penalty shouts for Firpo and Bamford respectively are waved away, but Leeds still win the ball back high up the pitch. Summerville sets himself to shoot, and drills a low effort from just outside the box which flashes wide of the post!

90' + 1' We're into two minutes of added time, as Fulham's place in the FA Cup quarter-finals ticks ever closer...

K. Tete

Cédric Soares

90' Cedric comes off having been impressive in his first start for Fulham, and Kenny Tete will replace the Portuguese at right-back.

89' Firpo's ball forward is flicked wide to Harrison, and his cross to Bamford looks a threatening one, but Ream nips in to head the ball away!

89' Vinicius and Koch go shoulder-to-shoulder as the Fulham substitute tries to run through on goal, but he's eventually penalised for fouling the centre-back and Leeds win the free-kick.

88' Adams shows great anticipation to win the ball high up the field, but Bamford's return pass finds neither him nor Summerville and Fulham are able to cut the ball out and clear!

86' BLOCKED!!! Harrison fizzes a cross to the back post, which is volleyed back across the face by Ayling. Ream clears the shot off the line and the ball skews into the area, soon dropping for Adams who skews a half-volley wide!

85' SAVED... just!! Cedric is found in open pasture and the crowd's shouts to shoot are met by a venomous effort from 35 yards, which stings the fingertips of Meslier before the Leeds goalkeeper regathers the ball!

85' Leeds leave gaps at the back as they push on for a consolation goal, and Willian is released behind Kristensen. The Dane recovers though to win the ball back, but concedes a corner in the process.

84' Willian tees up Robinson to cross into the area, but the ball comes back to the Brazilian, who shapes to shoot before being dispossessed by Ayling.

Willian

H. Wilson

82' Harry Wilson is also replaced, and Willian, who scored at against Leeds at Elland Road in this season's Premier League, will see out the game in his place.

H. Reed

João Palhinha

81' Palhinha's thunderbolt of an opener sent Fulham on their way, and the ever-impressive summer signing is replaced late on by Harrison Reed.

B. De Cordova-Reid

M. Solomon

81' A triple change coming for Fulham, the first of which sees second, and likely sealing goalscorer Solomon replaced by Bobby De Cordova-Reid.

81' OVER!!! Leeds' corner is played short to Firpo, whose cross flies all the way through before Kristensen recovers it. He finds Koch at the near post, but the defender's header flies past Rodak and over the crossbar!

80' Leeds fly forward again and Aaronson's throughball puts Summerville in behind. He looks to square for Bamford, but Ream slides across to block the ball behind for a corner, and Leeds just can't catch a break at the moment!

79' CHANCES!!! How have Leeds not scored there!!! Harrison's throughball is cut back into the danger area by Aaronson, and Rodak palms it out to McKennie. He takes too long to shoot, and Rodak blocks the effort, before the ball skews out to Summerville. He looks to lob the ball into the far corner, but it takes several deflections and evades a chasing Bamford on its way wide of the post!

77' WIDE!!! Rodak's parry is headed back across the box by a diving Ayling, and it drops to Aaronson who lashes a volley agonisingly wide of the bottom corner!

77' SAVED!!! Harrison stands up Cedric and floats a cross towards the six-yard box, but a leaping Rodak palms the ball away with Bamford waiting to nod into an empty net!

76' Leeds come forward in numbers and Harrison jinks inside from the left wing. He has plenty of options to aim at but chooses to shoot instead, almost clearing the roof of the stadium with a wild shot over the bar!

B. Aaronson

Marc Roca

74' Roca is next off for the visitors, as Brenden Aaronson joins the action to give Leeds an all-American midfield trio.

72' Robinson is, understandably, urged to shoot by the home crowd and does so from 20 yards, but Ayling gets in the way to block the ball behind for a Cottagers corner.

71' Harrison picks out Bamford in the box, who's clever touch takes him beyond Ream, but the linesman had already flagged against a retreating Summerville and so play comes back for a Fulham free-kick.

Carlos Vinícius

A. Mitrović

69' Mitrovic has been lively and involved in everything on his return to the side, and comes off now for Carlos Vinicius having set up the Cottagers' second goal.

67' Adams is dispossessed in midfield and Lukic's long throughball has Wilson bearing down on it, but Meslier charges a mile out of his box to hoof the ball back from whence it came.

66' FULHAM DENIED A THIRD!!! Cedric's pinpoint cross from the right finds the head of an arriving Mitrovic, who buries his effort in the bottom corner and wheels away to celebrate! He's stopped shortly after though, with the flag correctly raised after catching him a yard or so offside!

65' Wilson wins the ball down the right and squares for Mitrovic in the box. He turns and looks to lay it off for Solomon, but Ayling intercepts and clears!

J. Harrison

W. Gnonto

63' Gnonto also comes off having struggled to create much down a packed left channel, and he'll be replaced by Jack Harrison.

P. Bamford

G. Rutter

63' Rutter has been arguably Leeds' brightest spark so far, and was harshly denied a first-half opener. He comes off now though, with Patrick Bamford on to lead the line.

62' BLOCKED!!! Pereira sets off on the break for Fulham and finds Robinson in support. Pereira gets it back before feeding Mitrovic to his right, whose effort is blocked behind for a corner by Koch!

60' Leeds have out-shot Fulham by seven efforts to four, with four of those being on target. That's double the two on-target efforts from the hosts, but crucially, both of theirs have hit the back of the net.

58' That's Solomon's fourth strike in as many consecutive games for the Cottagers, and his first in the FA Cup this season!

A. Mitrović

Assist

56' The lay-off from Mitrovic was exactly what the winger wanted, and the Israel international did the rest to fire in Fulham's second spectacular goal of the match!

M. Solomon

Goal

56' GOOOOAAAALLL!!! It's another sumptuous finish, and Fulham are in firm control now!!! A cross from the right is only head half-clear by Ayling, and Solomon recovers it. He plays a one-two with Mitrovic, before curling a peach of an effort into the far corner!! A fantastic goal from a player bang in-form, and Fulham lead 2-0!!

55' Leeds are caught short on the break and Mitrovic's wide pass finds Wilson on the fly. He crosses into the centre with options arriving, but Koch's defensive header glances the ball away from danger!

53' WIDE!!! Rutter's not afraid to have a go in this second half is he? Bringing down a high ball, he beats Robinson and Palhinha on his way towards goal, before flashing a curling effort beyond Rodak and just inches wide of the far post!

51' SAVED!!! Summerville shows breakneck speed to keep Ayling's long pass in play, and cuts the ball back to Rutter in the box. With Ream at his back, the forward does well to roll the ball onto his left foot and get a shot away on the turn, but it's too close to Rodak and the Cottagers' goalkeeper keeps it out!

50' Fulham have won the last four FA Cup matches that they've lead at half-time, dating back to February 2015 against Sunderland.

48' SAVED!!! Leeds win the ball on halfway and flood forward into open space. Rutter charges ahead with Gnonto to his left, before releasing the winger behind Ream. Gnonto races into the box and shoots first-time, but his left-footed effort is well saved by Rodak!

47' Roca glides through midfield and attempts to release Rutter, but his throughball is overhit and Rodak races out of his net to gather it.

46' Rutter gets things back up and running at Craven Cottage, and he'll certainly be hoping for a better stroke of luck or two in the second half!

We're back for the second half, and with no replays at this stage of the FA Cup, the impetus is on Leeds to find at least one goal to turn the game in their favour, force extra-time, or maybe even go to penalties!

Joao Palhinha's impact on this Fulham side cannot be understated, and has been exemplified in this game. His goal is the difference so far, scoring with a 30-yard effort that yielded just 0.02 xG, and the Portuguese has also made a team-high 11 final-third passes, and won three of his six duels in total. In defence, he's won one tackle and one foul apiece, also making a clearance and three interceptions to stop Leeds' attacks in their tracks. Lynchpin.

And end-to-end first 45 minutes draw to a close, with the hosts 1-0 up thanks to Palhinha's wonder-strike from distance. Rutter and Leeds were harshly denied an early opener after Wilson was judged to have been fouled by McKennie, and Fulham made them pay further after Palhinha's optimistic effort flashed beyond Meslier. Leeds had another goal ruled out for offside, and also struck the post late in the half, with this game still very much in the balance going into the second period.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: FULHAM 1-0 LEEDS UNITED.

45' + 2' OFF THE POST!!! McKennie finds open space to charge into and plays the ball wide to Gnonto. He plays a one-two with Summerville in a crowded box before crossing to the back post, where Rutter's looping header beats a stranded Rodak before striking the bottom of the post!! That would've been some goal, as the Leeds striker is denied once more!

45' + 1' McKennie and Gnonto play a one-two in the Fulham box, but the American's shot from the return ball is blocked away by his countryman Ream!

45' + 1' We'll play three more minutes of added time to close out this close-run first half!

45' The ball is loose in midfield and Pereira finds Robinson making a searing run into the box. His cross is halted by Kristensen, and Ayling is fouled while attempting to clear, gifting Leeds a free-kick.

44' Solomon beats three players on his way to the byline, but his cross is deflected behind by Adams for a Fulham corner.

42' Gnonto looks to have a run at Cedric but is bowled over from his right by Palhinha, who is arguably lucky to not see further action!

40' A cross-field pass finds Cedric on the edge of the area, and he lets fly from a similar distance to Palhinha, only for Firpo to dive in the way of his shot and block it clear!

39' SAVED!!! Roca's free-kick is whipped quickly towards the front post, where Koch is inches away from getting a touch before Rodak gathers!

38' Adams shrugs off Mitrovic before being felled by the goalscorer Palhinha, and Leeds will get a chance to restore parity with a free-kick to be crossed into the box.

36' Fulham are playing in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2016-17, and last reached the quarter-final of the competition in 2009-10, beating Notts County 4-0 in that year's fifth round.

34' McKennie clips a ball over the top for Rutter to chase, but Adarabioyo holds him off well to win possession back for the hosts.

33' Wilson cuts across several challenges before finding Pereira, whose cross to the back post is missed by Mitrovic and sails just wide!

31' Leeds have been drawn away from home in each of their last 12 FA Cup ties, the joint longest run in FA Cup history, along with Aston Villa between 1977 and 1983 and Brighton between 1993 and 2000. Nomads.

29' RULED OUT AGAIN!!! Leeds have a second goal chalked off, this time for offside!! Ayling's volleyed cross for Rutter is half-cleared by Fulham, but Kristensen follows in with a low drive from distance. Rodak saves through the crowd, parrying out to an offside Gnonto, whose tap-in hits the net as the linesman simultaneously raises his flag!

27' Summerville ghosts in behind Ream to latch onto Gnonto's cross-field pass, but after stretching to keep the ball in play can only find Adarabioyo with his cross.

27' Cedric cuts inside and spreads the ball left, with Solomon finding Robinson. His cut-back has Mitrovic ready to pounce, but Kristensen slides in to get to the ball first and Ayling clears!

25' Leeds win a free-kick in a dangerous area but look to play the ball wide, and Kristensen's eventual cross doesn't beat the first man as Fulham easily deal with the threat.

24' Leeds have failed to win in the last six FA Cup matches in which they've conceded the opening goal, dating back to January 2017 in a shock loss against Cambridge United.

22' SAVED!!! Leeds aim to hit back straight away as Summerville tees up Roca on the edge of the box. He fires a low shot towards the bottom corner, which is well parried by Rodak low down to his left!

João Palhinha

Goal

21' GOOOOOAAAAALLL!!!! What a hit that was!!! Fulham lose the ball in midfield but Palhinha quickly wins it back, before unleashing a 30-yard pinger that catches Meslier off-guard as it sails into the top corner!!! The ambition to try his luck from there, and boy did it pay off as Fulham thunder into a 1-0 lead!

19' Solomon steps in and away from Adams down the left, and goes down on the edge of the box, but the referee tells him to stand back up as he calls for Leeds to play on!

17' Firpo and Wilson again tussle in the near-side corner, with the Fulham winger reckoning he's won a corner, only for both referee and linesman to point for a goal kick instead!

15' BALL IN THE NET!!! Rutter thinks he's off the mark for Leeds, but is denied!! Roca's corner is glanced goalwards by McKennie, and Rodak's parry is straight to Rutter, who buries it in the bottom corner!! However, the referee's given a Fulham free-kick as McKennie supposedly pushed Wilson, and so the goal won't count!

14' Adams finds McKennie down the left, who takes on Cedric, and does well to win Leeds a corner via a deflection off the on-loan Fulham right-back.

12' Summerville is down injured and receives lengthy treatment, and has to leave the pitch for further inspection as Jack Harrison warms up on the touchline.

10' Leeds have lost all of their last five FA Cup matches against Premier League opposition, failing to score a single goal. Their last such victory was against Tottenham in January 2013.

8' CHANCE!!! Leeds break at speed down the right as Summerville surges into open space. He finds McKennie in support, who feigns shooting on the edge of the box, but his throughball to Summerville is overhit and Rodak collects!

7' Gnonto cuts inside from the left and chips over the top of the defence, looking for Summerville. Robinson tracks him though, and nods the aerial ball back to Rodak.

6' Wilson chases a long pass down the right from Lukic, but Firpo shrugs him off the ball and passes back to Meslier in the Leeds goal.

5' Robinson attempts to find Mitrovic with a cross to the edge of the box, but Kristensen steps in first to clear the ball away for Leeds.

3' These two sides have never met in the FA Cup before, although in the Premier League, the Cottagers won 3-2 at Elland Road this season, and are looking to beat Leeds twice in the same campaign for the first time since 1959-60.

1' Pereira kicks off for Fulham, and this all-Premier League tie in the FA Cup fifth round is underway!

The teams head out of the tunnel at Craven Cottage, and we're just seconds away from kick-off here!

Record signing Georginio Rutter makes only his second start for Leeds since arriving in January, and fronts Javi Gracia’s new 4-3-3 formation. Marc Roca returns from injury to join US internationals Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie in midfield, while Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto flank Rutter in attack.

Fulham welcome back their top scorer and talisman, Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serbian international has already netted 11 times this season, and should cause a makeshift Leeds defence plenty of problems in this game after returning from an injury lay-off.

LEEDS UNITED SUBS: Joel Robles, Brenden Aaronson, Patrick Bamford, Jack Harrison, Sonny Perkins, Darko Gyabi, Diogo Monteiro, Mateo Joseph, Archie Gray.

LEEDS UNITED (4-3-3): Illan Meslier; Rasmus Kristensen, Luke Ayling, Robin Koch, Junior Firpo; Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Marc Roca; Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Wilfried Gnonto.

FULHAM SUBS: Bernd Leno, Kenny Tete, Shane Duffy, Harrison Reed, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Willian, Carlos Vinicius, Issa Diop, Luke Harris.

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Marek Rodak; Cedric Soares, Tosin Adarabioyo, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson; Sasa Lukic, Joao Palhinha; Harry Wilson, Andreas Pereira, Manor Solomon; Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Leeds only required the one match to get past League 1 side Accrington Stanley in the fourth round. The top-flight strugglers won 3-1 at the Wham Stadium to book a fifth-round tie for the first time in seven seasons. The Whites won their first game under new coach Javi Gracia against Southampton in the Premier League, and will be hoping to follow suit in the capital.

Fulham are flying high at the moment, currently sat sixth in their first season back in the Premier League. They needed a replay to get past Championship side Sunderland in the fourth round, winning 3-2 at the Stadium of Light after a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

Hello, and welcome to live coverage of this FA Cup fifth round tie, as Fulham face Leeds United at Craven Cottage.

Fulham v Leeds United Live Commentary, 01/03/2023

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