Paul Robinson loves what Lucas Perri did during Leeds penalty shootout win vs Birmingham
Paul Robinson has heaped praise on Leeds United goalkeeper Lucas Perri after his heroics during their FA Cup fourth-round win over Birmingham City.
Daniel Farke’s side advanced to the last 16 of the competition after beating the Blues 4-2 on penalties.
Leeds had looked set to go through in normal time at St Andrew’s, after Lukas Nmecha smashed home from the edge of the box just after the half-time break.
However, Patrick Roberts’ deflected striker took the game to extra time, with the Whites eventually securing a shootout win.
Lucas Perri saves Leeds in FA Cup
Perri made several magnificent saves during the 90 minutes, the best of the lot coming early on as he tipped Jay Stansfield’s volley onto the post.
However, the Brazilian really proved his worth during the penalty shootout, helping Leeds through to the next round.
Both sides converted each of their first two spot kicks, before Perri dived full length to his right to keep out Tommy Doyle’s effort.
Brenden Aaronson put the Whites ahead in the shootout, and after Roberts ballooned over the bar, Sean Longstaff kept his cool to put Farke’s side into the next round.
Former Leeds goalkeeper Robinson praised Perri for his performance and was particularly impressed by his save from Doyle.
Speaking on the BBC‘s FA Cup highlights show, Robinson highlighted how Perri took a tiny step to the left before Doyle struck the penalty, which helped him keep out the spot-kick.
He said: “I thought he (Perri) was excellent today. That is a good save from Tommy Doyle’s penalty.
“You look at his left foot here, he gives himself a bit of a bigger base so he can propel himself with that right foot.
“Keeping that left foot in contact with the line allows him to push off his right foot from slightly off the line. He can then spring and go full length into the bottom right-hand corner.”
Has Lucas Perri done enough for a Premier League recall?
Perri has been the Leeds number one for the majority of the season, but he lost his place in the team last month.
Following mistakes against Manchester United and Newcastle United, Farke brought Karl Darlow back into the starting lineup, relegating the Brazilian to the bench.
However, with his match-winning performance against Birmingham, Perri proved that he still has what it takes to be the first-choice shot-stopper for Leeds.
Darlow has been far from confident himself since stepping into the starting lineup, so Farke could now be tempted to make another switch in between the sticks.
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