Richard Keys loves what he saw in Birmingham vs Leeds United in new message to Daniel Farke
Leeds secured their FA Cup fifth-round spot with a win against Birmingham City on Sunday.
Patrick Roberts’ deflected strike levelled the scores at a lively St Andrew’s after a Lukas Nmecha goal put Leeds ahead, before Sean Longstaff won the tie on penalties in front of the travelling fans.
Daniel Farke’s side welcome his old club, Norwich, to Elland Road in March, giving Leeds a favourable pathway to the quarter-finals, alongside their ongoing relegation battle.
Leeds have lost just two out of eight Premier League matches in 2026 thus far, seeing them sit 15th in the standings.
Richard Keys has praised Farke following their cup win, with Leeds not looking to rotate too heavily outside of the league.
Richard Keys piles praise on Daniel Farke after FA Cup win
Securing a fifth-round tie with Norwich, Leeds will face Championship opposition for the third time in this year’s competition.
Despite this, Farke has not looked to rotate too heavily, instead using the cup as a momentum builder.
“Birmingham/Leeds looked like a genuine tie,” said Keys in his weekly blog.
“It’s hard to judge some of the games because of the number of changes teams make, but it looks as though Farke wants to give it a real go with Leeds. Good luck to him.”
Winning the tie via a penalty shoot-out, Keys highlighted just how much he loves the format, despite the controversial scrapping of replays ahead of the 2024-25 season.
“I love the shoot-out drama,” he said. “I always have. Do you remember the profits of doom predicting disaster for the competition if we dropped replays? I argued when it happened that we’d see an increase in drama if games had to finish at the first attempt – and we have.
“In no way has the competition suffered as a result. It’s better,” he concluded.
Leeds will welcome Norwich to Elland Road on the weekend of 7 March, as teams go head to head for their respective quarter-final spots.
- Read more: Paul Robinson loves what Lucas Perri did during Leeds penalty shoot-out win vs Birmingham
Leeds are using the FA Cup to build momentum
Heading into the clash against Birmingham, MOT Leeds News outlined how the FA Cup could be a perfect path for Leeds to continue building momentum as they battle for Premier League survival.
After facing intense criticism earlier this season, the Whites look like a completely transformed side – aided by the fortress of Elland Road.
With a six-point gap to the drop zone, Leeds are now one of the favourites to stay up after securing vital points against Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
Out of the sides fighting at the bottom end, Leeds are the team in form, and the continued momentum can only be a positive as they look to avoid the same fate as their last Premier League season of 2022-23.
After securing their FA Cup pathway in Birmingham on Sunday, Leeds travel to the Second City once again next time out, as they face Aston Villa, where they will hope to take advantage of their host’s recent inconsistencies.
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