The Whites booked their spot in the FA Cup fifth round after a dramatic 1-1 draw away at Birmingham City, ultimately prevailing 4-1 on penalties. It was a true cup tie at St Andrew's, with both sides leaving everything on the pitch. Birmingham, roared on by their passionate home support, made a blistering start. Their energy and intensity, despite both teams making changes, saw them boss possession and create the better of the early chances. Goalkeeper Lucas Perri was the hero for Leeds in the first half, pulling off a stunning finger-tip save to deny Jay Stansfield's rasping half-volley, which cannoned off the post. The hosts pushed their Premier League opponents all the way, and it was a testament to their resilience and quality that they pushed Leeds so hard.

Leeds, however, found their rhythm in the second half, and after Daniel Farke introduced Ethan Ampadu at the break, the team showed a renewed sense of purpose. It was Lukas Nmecha who unlocked the Birmingham defence on 49 minutes, firing home at the near post for his seventh goal of the season. Leeds looked to be in control but Birmingham refused to lie down, though, and poured forward in search of an equaliser. Stansfield, August Priske, and Carlos Vicente all went close in a frantic spell.

Just when it seemed Birmingham's cup dream was about to be realised, Patrick Roberts emerged as the saviour for Leeds. In the 89th minute, he unleashed a stunning left-footed rocket that, after a deflection off Leeds defender James Justin, found the back of the net to level the scores and send the tie to penalties. In the shootout, it was Sean Longstaff who held his nerve, scoring Leeds' fourth spot-kick to seal a hard-fought victory and send Daniel Farke's men into the last 16 for the third time in four years. Despite the heartbreak, Birmingham can hold their heads high after a performance that bodes well for their promotion ambitions.

	Line Up		Nat	Match Events
	1	Perri, Lucas Goalkeeper			★8.7
	24	Justin, James Defender			5.8
	3	Gudmundsson, Gabriel Defender			6.1
	15	Bijol, Jaka Defender			8.3
	23	Bornauw, Sebastiaan Defender			6.8
	8	Longstaff, Sean Midfielder			5.8
	22	Tanaka, Ao Midfielder			5.3
	40	Buonanotte, Facundo Midfielder			4.1
	29	Gnonto, Wilfried Midfielder			5.3
	19	Okafor, Noah Midfielder			6.2
	14	Nmecha, Lukas Forward			6.9
	Subs		Nat	Match Events
	4	Ampadu, Ethan Midfielder			7.7
	11	Aaronson, Brenden Midfielder			6.0
	9	Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Forward			6.0
	10	Piroe, Joel Forward			5.3
	2	Bogle, Jayden Defender			5.9
	6	Rodon, Joe Defender			5.9
	26	Darlow, Karl Goalkeeper		Unused Sub
	25	Byram, Sam Defender		Unused Sub
	44	Gruev, Ilia Midfielder		Unused Sub