Saturday, 13/11/2010
Jermaine Beckford scored as Leeds United beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in a famous FA Cup third round giant-killing.
The League One side won a tumultuous encounter against their hated rivals to inflict Sir Alex Ferguson’s first FA Cup defeat against lower league opposition in 21 years as United manager.
It will go down as one of the greatest wins in the history of a club whose recent history has provided few bright spots, and was celebrated raucously by the 9,000 fans who crossed the Pennines to witness history.
The travelling supporters formed part of a 76,000 sell-out at Old Trafford, a heartening turn-out in light of some dismal FA Cup attendances on Saturday that had some observers speculating that the magic of the cup was dead. Fat chance.
Ferguson showed both the competition and his opponents due respect by starting the talismanic Wayne Rooney, who played his usual key role in his team’s attacking play, but to no avail.
Wes Brown was a late inclusion, replacing Nemanja Vidic after the Serbian suffered an injury in the warm-up, and the stand-in defender suffered a torrid afternoon.
The prolific Beckford, whose contract expires at the end of the season, is expected to leave Elland Road this month, with Newcastle United a likely destination.
If the striker does leave, Leeds fans will have plenty to remember him by after he scored his 20th goal of the season in typically predatory style.
On 19 minutes, Jonathan Howson hit a superb long, diagonal ball and Beckford sped past the sluggish Brown. His first touch was ragged but Tomasz Kuszczak hesitated long enough to allow Beckford a second touch - a left-footed prod underneath the goalkeeper that trickled into the empty net.
While the home side reeled, Luciano Becchio squandered a superb chance to make it two, heading a Howson cross over while unmarked.
Rooney carried an almost single-handed fight to Leeds. He miscued an attempted lob from a long Darron Gibson pass, then saw a shot cleared off the line; Jason Crowe tidying up after Casper Ankergren took just enough sting off a low strike from the right.
The England forward then controlled brilliantly at the edge of the box before curling a shot that rooted Ankergren to the spot and spun agonisingly wide of the right-hand post.
Other than Rooney, Manchester United offered little in attack. Dimitar Berbatov looked nonchalant, Gabriel Obertan panicky and Danny Welbeck utterly out of his depth.
At the other end, Brown’s woes continued, and he was booked for a crude, late challenge on Becchio.
Not even the second-half introduction of Ryan Giggs, Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen could lift a subpar performance from the home side, although they had their chances.
Fabio curled his shot over from the edge of the box while Owen scuffed a shot terribly when he looked odds-on to equalise on 71 minutes.
Rooney fired goalwards on countless occasions, but could not beat the indomitable Ankergren who produced several superb saves.
As Manchester United’s challenge petered out, Leeds went agonisingly close to finishing them off. Beckford shot just wide from the edge of the box, before Robert Snodgrass rattled the crossbar with a free-kick.
The home side could not capitalise on their reprieve, and Leeds held out for five nerve-shredding minutes of stoppage time. — Eurosport
Tags: English FA Cup, FA Cup 2009/10, Giant Killing, Leeds United, Manchester United, Upset
