Thanks to a goal by Adam Randell in the second half at Elland Road, Plymouth Argyle advanced to an FA Cup fourth-round replay against other Championship team Leeds United.
After an incredible solo run, Jaidon Anthony put Leeds ahead with an exquisite finish shortly after the half-hour mark.
But in the second half, the tides turned and Randell equalized with a brilliant counterattack.
Although Daniel Farke’s team had multiple opportunities to win it late on—the greatest of which went to Patrick Bamford, a substitute—they were unable to duplicate their November 2-1 Championship triumph.
Plymouth have not reached the FA Cup fifth round since the 2006-07 campaign and will get a second chance to make it into the last 16 with a replay at Home Park.
Leeds had a sluggish start, but Anthony gave the home team a boost when he broke through the Argyle defense and blasted a shot that slammed off the post.
A few seconds later, Conor Hazard tipped Wilfried Gnonto’s excellent strike into the crossbar, causing the woodwork to tremble once more.
After a terrific solo run, Anthony opened the score with a wonderful bending strike into the right-hand corner. Anthony was a bother for the Pilgrims’ defense all afternoon.
As the forward found the back of the net, an undershirt with the words “rest in perfect peace mum” was uncovered, marking the fitting homage to the late mother of the Bournemouth loanee who passed away last week.
Plymouth returned.
With 17 minutes remaining, though, Randell gave them an equalizer.
Before Hazard stopped Bamford’s close-range attempt, Anthony attempted to repeat his valiant efforts from the first half.
Leeds kept their perfect home record this season even though they were unable to convert their late opportunities.
Manager Daniel Farke of Leeds said to BBC Sport:
“I would say it’s just unlucky, not irritating. Naturally, we desired to get to the fifth round. First of all, I’m disappointed that we didn’t make it through, but I can’t hold it against my boys.
We played three games in a challenging week. We played really well in the first half and ought to have won this game with more goals. It still indicates that we are participating in the tournament and
“We should have played one fewer game. The next game should, in my opinion, take place in the following round. We are excited to be involved in the FA Cup. Drawing this game today was superfluous. It is what it is; it’s football.”
Regarding Jaidon Antony: “It was excellent. His quality was clearly visible in the goal. It was a fantastic conclusion, and I loved how he challenged the players. He meant so much to him that he scored, so I’m quite happy for him. Today is his due. Although we still have a chance, it would have been preferable if it had been the game-winning goal.”
Manager Ian Foster of Plymouth said to BBC Sport:
“I’m rather happy. I thought that during the first twenty-five minutes.
I’m quite happy. In my opinion, we gave Leeds much too much respect in the opening twenty-five minutes. I felt that there was too much distance between us. We were inactive and perhaps fortunate to enter the game behind 1-0.
“We played on the front foot a lot more in the second half. I felt like we controlled the next forty-five minutes. We accomplished the goal of winning the second half, which was the challenge at halftime.
It is evidence of the athletes’ abilities. The brief time I’ve been at the football team has allowed us to provide them with a wealth of information. In the second half, we improved significantly with the ball and started to pose a danger to score.
“The challenge is to become more ruthless. We want our central midfield players to arrive in the box and Adam’s [Randell] done that magnificently.
“I think it’s one of the best competitions ever so we want to stay in it. We want to play as many games as we can at Home Park.”
