Leeds United

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Defender Pascal Struijk says boss Daniel Farke has given him "a lot of confidence" and has "done great things" so far at the club.

Struijk told BBC Radio Leeds: "For me he has been really great ever since he came in. He came in and gave me a lot of confidence.

"He trusts me to play and he trusts me to be the vice-captain of the team.

"I'm very happy with everything he has done for me so far and with the team he has done great things - promotion and now a season in the Premier League which hopefully we can finish on a high."

The defender, who has been at the club for eight years, says he is still hungry to help Leeds push on: "I want to be the best version I can here and then take that hunger and desire with everyone within the club.

"I'm very much an optimist. I always go into games thinking that we can win, thinking we should play better, do everything better.

"I hope to bring all of this with me into the end of the season and hopefully we can do all the things on a high."

Listen in full below or on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter in Dublin

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Croke Park chief executive Peter McKenna says he will find a different opponent for Manchester United if Leeds are unable to face their old rivals in Dublin this summer.

United have travelled to the Republic of Ireland this week to promote a pre-season game against Leeds.

The clash between the Roses rivals is scheduled for 12 August and if it goes ahead will be the first time two English football clubs have played at the historic 82,000-capacity home of the Gaelic Athletic Association, which for decades banned soccer and rugby from being played there.

However, Leeds have said they will not be able to play the match if they either got relegated and dropped into the EFL or feature in next season's Community Shield, both of which are due to be played the weekend after the planned Manchester United encounter.

McKenna is confident the match will go ahead as planned but he is ready to find an alternative if required.

"That is the joy of sport, you never know what the result is going to be," McKenna told BBC Sport.

"It is very clear Manchester United will be here on 12th. The opposition is Leeds but there are a couple of concerns.

"Could Leeds be relegated? I think that is unlikely given their position in the table and some of the clubs below them, who are struggling. But you never know. That is an unpredictability.

"They could also win the FA Cup final and that would change things. That is more likely. They are a good team. That could happen.

"If it does, we will just have to chase different opposition."

Leeds United are willing to allow Spanish forward Mateo Joseph to leave the club this summer following his loan spell with Mallorca. (Football Insider, external)

Meanwhile Leeds are ready to rival Crystal Palace in the race to sign Hearts midfielder Alfie Osborne, 17, who could be signed for a modest compensation fee. (The Hard Tackle, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Leeds United defender Pascal Struijk says he felt "calm and ready" before taking the winning penalty that sent his club through to the FA Cup semi-finals, adding that the celebrations continued until the players "reached home".

"It can be overwhelming to be in the situation I was in," the centre-back told BBC Radio Leeds. "But this time I felt calm and ready, my head was clear.

"Their goalkeeper was trying to intimidate me and their fans were waving their arms, but I didn't let that get into my head. I was very calm.

"When it hit the inside of the post, I always knew it was going in. I would have rather seen it hit the back of the net straightaway though."

The club last played at Wembley Stadium two years ago when they lost 1-0 to Southampton in the Championship play-off final, but Struijk missed out through injury.

When asked about having the chance to play at the iconic ground, Struijk replied: "It is very special. I'm very excited and motivated to get a result there because last time was obviously disappointing [for me and for the club].

"Hopefully I can make my first time a good time.

"I've been here for such a long time that this club holds a really special place in my heart. I came here as a young boy and now I am fully grown."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds, where Struijk discusses Daniel Farke's influence

We asked for your views on Leeds United's Premier League run-in and whether they will avoid the drop.

Here are some of your comments:

Derek: Leeds have definitely grown and bonded as a team and this has clearly shown when they have needed to pull something out of the bag to win a difficult game or grind out a result. Staying up is a clear possibility now.

Jim: Leeds will stay up. Our performances have been better than the points total indicates. We were very unlucky against Manchester City and in a couple of the early-season games. Two wins and a few draws should do it.

Jonathan: As a Leeds fan, I'm extremely concerned. We haven't scored in our past four Premier League games, and we haven't scored in open play in our past five. Our FA Cup run is an unnecessary distraction. I'm grateful that Forest have the distraction of Europe. The fact that Spurs and West Ham don't have the distraction of cup games could be to their advantage.

Garv: I really hope we stay up. The cup run has been a sideshow, but if we get to 40 points then we will stay up.

Tony: We should be OK with the remaining fixtures as long as the mentality is strong, with a four-point buffer, we just need to keep winning, it doesn't matter what the other teams do.

Leeds forward Joe Gelhardt, 23, who has scored 13 goals in the Championship for Hull City this season, is wanted by Rangers. (Football Insider, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

There are 21 points left up for grabs in the 2025-26 Premier League season and every one of those will matter for those near the bottom of the table.

Who will survive and who will be relegated to the Championship?

West Ham currently sit in 18th, with Tottenham one point above the drop, Nottingham Forest three ahead and Leeds four.

Here's a look at the four clubs' final seven games of the season.

West Ham face bottom club Wolves on Friday - their first of four home games in the run-in.

The Hammers then face Brentford,Everton and Newcastle, who are all chasing a European spot, and current league leaders Arsenal.

If it goes down to the wire, then the final game of the season between West Ham and Leeds could be all or nothing.

Unlike West Ham, Tottenham have more away games in their run-in.

Yet that could in fact favour Spurs given they possess the worst home record in the Premier League this season, having won just two of their 16 home games.

Roberto de Zerbi will need to make an immediate impact as they travel to Sunderland and then host his former club Brighton the following week.

Spurs host Leeds on 11 May in what could be an important game in the fight for survival, before two tricky final games against Chelsea and Everton.

Nottingham Forest and Leeds have three and four-point buffers to the drop zone respectively - but they will play more games than Tottenham and West Ham as they are both still in cup competitions.

Forest have still got to play three of the current top six, as well as European-chasing Newcastle and Bournemouth.

Should they progress to the Europa League semi-finals then both legs will have to be played either side of their trip to Stamford Bridge on 4 May.

Leeds' FA Cup semi-final - also against Chelsea - will be played three days after their visit to Bournemouth.

And it is Leeds who have to play the most teams near the bottom, with four of their seven remaining fixtures against the current bottom four.

So how are you feeling? Does it make you nervy looking at your club's and other teams' fixtures? Or do you think you have enough to beat the drop?

Get in touch with your views here

All kick-off times BST, fixture dates and times subject to change.

Adonis Storr
Fan writer

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As the dust settles from an extraordinary game at London Stadium on Sunday, this Leeds squad will be wondering how they did not win in normal time.

A ripple of nerves shot through the Leeds players and fans when 11 minutes flashed up on the fourth official's board at the end of the second half.

At 2-0, the game seemingly done, in an extraordinary wobble, West Ham had the ball in the back of the Leeds goal four times in 20 minutes.

And while injuries forced a change in personnel and formation, there was enough talent in that Leeds team to see-off a poor and struggling, albeit desperate, West Ham United. So why didn't they?

This inability to protect a lead has been a problem all season. Leeds have conceded 11 goals after the 90-minute mark – the most of any Premier League club this term., external

But why are Leeds conceding so many late goals? Mentality? Focus? Not employing the dark arts?

Plenty of sides have come to Elland Road and triggered timeouts for tactical team talks and wasted time to manage games.

And no top-tier team is too good to employ such tactics - Manchester City ground out a turgid 1-0 victory at Elland Road at the end of February. Likewise Sunderland, in the very next game, left the Whites under no illusions of what is required to get results in this season's Premier League.

Leeds' only Premier League veterans acquired in the summer were Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Justin and Sean Longstaff. Could the answer be a lack of experience in England's top flight?

Whatever the reason, Leeds will have to fix it fast. With the glory of a glimmering trophy just two FA Cup wins away and Premier League survival in the balance, Leeds will have to get wise to game-management if they want to achieve their dreams.

Find more from Adonis Storr at The Roaring Peacock, external

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says the Leeds players will be "buzzing" after their FA Cup quarter-final win at West Ham so it should give them an added boost for the Premier League run-in.

Reflecting on one of the most dramatic cup games of the weekend, Sutton praised the "big" victory for Daniel Farke's men and "the way they got over the line" against relegation threatened West Ham.

"There's a really nice balance about them this season," said Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "I mean that in the way that they defend as well as having their players at the top of the pitch who score and make a difference.

"Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been key to that.

"They are four points clear of West Ham so if you are looking at the table as a player then you are thinking 'we are nearly there'.

"But for West Ham, the pressure is really on."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Leeds United are into a first FA Cup semi-final for nearly 40 years and they did it in dramatic fashion, beating West Ham United on penalties.

Leeds were 2-0 up but conceded two stoppage-time goals, sending the tie into extra time, before Daniel Farke's side won 4-2 in the shootout.

Both sides are also battling to survive in the Premier League and former Leeds defender Jon Newsome said: "Leeds coming here and winning the game puts a massive dent in West Ham's confidence."

Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix spoke about how the experience of going to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final is easier than other previous visits to the venue, such as the Championship play-off in 2024 - which Leeds lost to Southampton.

"Going to Wembley for a play-off final is such a stress, there's so much on it," he said.

"We can go to Wembley for the semi-final and we want to win, but if we don't win then nothing bad happens," he said. "Hopefully we can enjoy it."

Newsome added: "They will go into it very celebratory and happy. It's a great day out. If they don't get to the final, you're disappointed but it is not season-defining."

Listen to the full episode by clicking on the play button below or on BBC Sounds

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

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Leeds have only won the FA Cup once in their history, beating Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley through Allan Clarke's diving header 54 years ago, but they have lost in three finals, including to Chelsea after a replay at Old Trafford in 1970.

They were beaten in the semi-finals by Manchester United in 1977 and Coventry a decade later, while losing in the quarter-finals in 1996, 1998 and 2003.

Leeds next have the task of eliminating eight-time FA Cup winners Chelsea, but Farke's side will not be scared of the Blues having beaten them 3-1 at Elland Road in December before a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in February.

"I feel pretty humble as you can see how much it means to our supporters to get to the first semi-final in decades - it has not been an easy time for the club," said the German.

"You can see it in the fans' eyes, I know how much it means to them.

"We will be the underdog, that's for sure. Chelsea are a big name and a side full of top players, but we have written history. Nobody expected us to go through to the semi-final and, of course, we are greedy to go to the next step.

"Now we will try to take over the capital with 30,000 people."

Before they head to north London, those present at London Stadium will have fond tales to tell about Sunday's experience.

Leeds sold out their entire 9,000 allocation, taking up all the space behind one of the goals and contributing to a fantastic atmosphere.

There was added drama as Alphonse Areola suffered a leg injury, meaning Finlay Herrick - who was on loan at fifth-tier Boreham Wood as recently as January - was handed a first Hammers appearance in the 120th minute and just before the shootout.

He saved from Joel Piroe, but Lucas Perri ensured it was he who would be the goalkeeping hero with his two saves.

"This is the magic of the cup, anything can happen and today was a crazy and memorable game. I'm happy that we won the match and we are into the semi-finals now," said Perri.

"For this fanbase it shows the magic of them, the love they have for this team. It is a pleasure to play for this team."

Read more on Leeds' FA Cup run

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final between West Ham and Leeds.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Sue: Was quite impressed with the second half but thought we were unlucky to have two goals disallowed. Thought Taty should have scored, he missed an open goal. At least we can concentrate on Premier League survival. It was an entertaining game.

Andy: Brilliant comeback by West Ham, they dominated extra time and in the end were very unlucky to lose. Young Herrick was close to a couple of the penalties, a debut to remember!

John: It was bittersweet, but I am secretly relieved as I think we need all our focus to be on our last Premier League games. It was great to see us fight back late in the game and create chances in extra time because that gives me hope for us in the rest of the season.

Matthew: I was glad the fans who left weren't allowed back in. There's a culture of leaving early at West Ham and hopefully this will teach most of them that do it regularly a hard lesson that we need support until the end. It must be demoralising for players to see stands emptying and those who do it probably make up a large portion of the negative energy that's been damaging this club for years now.

Leeds fans

Stephen: Delighted to be in an FA Cup semi-final for the first time since Wee Billy was manager and Neil Aspin was postponing his wedding to play against Coventry. I have carried those memories for nearly 40 years so am over the moon that we have reached that stage of competition that captured me in 1972.

Andrew: Leeds turn a winning stroll in 90 minutes in to extra time and penalties. We must improve game management to see out wins as this will be crucial to staying up. West Ham are where they are for a reason and we should have won by three or four. This cup run is fantastic though and long overdue - and Leeds have already beaten Chelsea this season.

Eric: At 2-0 on 90 minutes it should have been all about game management, even with a very strange 11 minutes of added time, but even so, once again we very nearly grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory. Not for the first time this season. Perri really pulled it out of the bag for this one. He was my man of the match for his whole performance and not just for the penalty saves, but the team still has a lot of work to do to reach the finish line.

Catch up with a special episode of BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, recorded straight after Leeds United's victory at West Ham on penalties in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds.

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

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The Telegraph's Luke Edwards says reaching an FA Cup semi-final gives Leeds "excitement" and "joy" alongside their Premier League survival bid.

The Whites reached their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987 with a dramatic penalty shootout win over West Ham, setting up a meeting with historic rivals Chelsea.

"It's great for a club like Leeds that it's got this progress in the cup as well as still having a lot to fight for in the league as well," Edwards told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"They're still not out of danger down at the bottom of the table, but this is what football is all about. You talk about memories - the fans who watched them beat West Ham will always remember it. They'll remember it more than a league game against Burnley in the Championship or Premier League.

"They are going to play in an FA Cup semi-final for the first time in more than 30 years, which is a long time. That matters.

"It's brilliant for Leeds and great for their fans. Not only have they done well in the league and have a realistic chance of staying up, they've now got this excitement and this joy of going to Wembley in the FA Cup.

"Daniel Farke has bought them that - a manager who has had speculation surrounding him losing his job for a lot of the start of the season. He's one of the managers of the season for me and, as a neutral, if there's any team I want to win the FA Cup, for what it would meant to the city, it is Leeds. "

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Leeds put their 9,000 vocal travelling fans through the wringer on Sunday but can now make plans for Wembley later this month.

Their supporters will be there in even greater numbers, two years after Leeds last played at the national stadium - when they lost 1-0 to Southampton in the 2024 Championship play-off final.

Leeds, who won the FA Cup in 1972, have in fact lost on their three most recent trips to Wembley. They were beaten 1-0 by Doncaster in the 2008 League One play-off final and 3-0 by Aston Villa in the 1996 League Cup final.

You have to go all the way back to August 1992 for Leeds' last victory at Wembley, a 4-3 success over Liverpool in the Charity Shield, featuring an Eric Cantona hat-trick.

Leeds are back in the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1987, when they lost 3-2 to eventual trophy winners Coventry City at Hillsborough.

For large parts of Sunday's game, they looked good value for their semi-final spot.

They nearly scored in the opening 90 seconds, but Noah Okafor was denied by Alphonse Areola, before Ao Tanaka's deflected shot bounced off the underside of the crossbar and over the line for their first goal.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin made it 2-0 with a penalty after Max Kilman caught Brenden Aaronson.

The late West Ham turnaround changed the flow of the game dramatically though.

Leeds had to defend for a lot of a frantic extra-time period, but in the end Daniel Farke's side, themselves not certain of avoiding relegation from the Premier League, came through.

Wembley awaits Leeds on the weekend of 25 April, with Chelsea standing between them and the final on 16 May.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke, speaking to BBC Sport: "We never do it the easy way. We could have had it easier if we were more composed but it's the FA Cup quarter-final away tie and we expect the other team to give everything until the end. This is what happened. I'm pretty proud we were able to calm our nerves down after setbacks in the game.

"It was not an easy game for us in many aspects but to be able to celebrate with out fantastic supporters will do lots for our confidence. It's a big night for everyone connected with Leeds United."

On how his players kept their nerve: "I have good boys and good character, we work on our mentality and character day in, day out. I always trust my boys. It's always up to the players to deliver on the pitch and they did fantastically well to settle after this nervy period. We are not perfect, but we always play with desire and a great mentality and a great togetherness. By doing this we have this achievement today to be in the semi-final for the first time since the 1980s."

On drawing Chelsea in semi-final: "We will be the underdog, that's for sure. It's a big name and a side full of top players. For that we are the underdog but we have written history. Nobody expected us to go though to the semi-final. And of course we are greedy to go to the next step. My focus now is on the Premier League. We are on such a good path and want to make sure we can celebrate there."

On how this win will help league momentum: "In terms of points it doesn't help at all but each win is good for confidence, to know we can deliver under pressure and deal with setbacks. There was criticism with scoring goals in the last games so it was good we put this to bed. It's good for confidence and belief and spirit."

On if Leeds can go all the way in the FA Cup: "I said [in the past] it's not realistic. We want to achieve unrealistic goals and we are on the right path to do this. Step by step we want to celebrate a few more points in the Premier League. If we have a chance to play a second time at Wembley in the FA Cup this season we want to grab the chance with both hands."

Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "This is the magic of the Cup, anything can happen and today was a crazy and memorable game. Happy that we won the match and we are into the semi-finals now.

On his penalty saves: "We saw the penalties, the [Jarrod] Bowen penalty was one that we studied a lot. The other ones was ones were I followed my own instinct. Happy to make the save with the first one using the data and the next ones was my gut feeling."

Did you know?

• Leeds United have won two penalty shootouts within a single season in all competitions (also v Birmingham in February) for only the second time in their history, after 2016-17. The Whites had never won an FA Cup shootout prior to winning two in 2025-26.

• Leeds have progressed from an FA Cup tie against a Premier League opponent as a top-flight side themselves for the first time since beating Arsenal in the 1996-97 fourth round.

• Dominic Calvert-Lewin was Leeds' eighth different goalscorer in this season's FA Cup, their most in a single campaign (excl. own goals) since 1966-67 (also 8).

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the FA Cup semi-finals has been made.

Leeds United will play Chelsea after reaching the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years.

Last year's finalists Manchester City will take on Championship side Southampton in the other semi-final.

The games will be played at Wembley on the weekend of 25-26 April.

Watch all the highlights and best video from this season's FA Cup

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Leeds United's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

West Ham make five changes from the side that began the 2-0 loss at Aston Villa on 22 March with starts for Alphonse Areola, Max Kilman, Kyle Walker-Peters, Soungoutou Magassa and Adama Traore.

Jarrod Bowen, who played for England twice in the international break, is named in the 11.

West Ham XI: Areola, Malick Diouf, Disasi, Kilman, Walker-Peters, Fernandes, Potts, Magassa, Traore, Castellanos, Bowen.

The big news for Leeds is top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin is only among the substitutes. It is three changes from the side that began the home goalless draw with Brentford.

Lucas Perri is in goal, with Ao Tanaka and Noah Okafor also starting.

Leeds XI: Perri, Struijk, Bijol, Rodon, Justin, Stach, Ampadu, Bogle, Tanaka, Nmecha, Okafor.

Full live commentary of Leeds' big FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham at The London Stadium is available to listen to in full both on BBC Sounds and online.

Listen here from 16:30 GMT or on BBC Radio Leeds using the BBC Sounds app.

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