Leeds defeated West Ham 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw to secure their first semi-final appearance in the FA Cup since 1986-87 season.
Misses from Jarrod Bowen and Pablo proved costly as Leeds prevailed 4-2 on penalties after Pascal Struijk netted the winning spot-kick.
Tanaka put Leeds in front with a 26th-minute finish from Noah Okafor’s pass which the Japanese midfielder dinked into the top-right corner via the underside of the crossbar.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubled the visitors’ lead with a 75th-minute penalty after Video-Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened, following Max Kilman’s foul on Brenden Aaronson.
Matheus Fernandes and Axel Disasi struck in the space of three injury-time minutes as West Ham fought back to force extra time and penalties.
Leeds are now in the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1986-87 season, which saw them lose to that season’s eventual champions – Coventry City.
With just four points separating the pair in the Premier League and set to meet on the final day of the season in a likely relegation decider, this cup tie had the potential to provide a psychological edge for the run-in on top of a semi-final spot.
West Ham however made a nervy start but Alphonse Areola was alert to tip Noah Okafor’s second-minute shot wide of the top-right corner.
Leeds’ Lucas Perri four minutes later diverted Bowen’s shot away from the bottom-right corner as West Ham found their groove, which led to an edgy end-to-end period.
West Ham’s defensive nerviness however proved their undoing in the 26th minute as Leeds broke forward up the left flank as James Justin slipped Okafor forward, and the Danish forward found Tanaka inside the box to twist his way into space to dink a shot into the top-right corner to put the visitors ahead.
Leeds almost put a first semi-final appearance in 39 years within sight in the 33rd minute as Okafor teed up Anton Stach on a quick breakaway attack, but the German’s shot was saved by Areola just as he was fouled by Disasi although Leeds protected their lead into half-time.
West Ham responded with a double substitution at the break as Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa were substituted for Tomas Soucek and Pablo, which sparked the Hammers into life in the second half.
Leeds however mounted a stubborn defensive effort as West Ham’s Valentin Castellanos put a header onto the right post on the hour mark, before Bowen saw a rebound shot from a corner cleared in the 68th minute.
Two minutes later, Aaronson was fouled by Kilman as he broke forward inside the box but referee – Craig Pawson snubbed the Whites’ penalty appeal until VAR intervened, which led him to overturn his decision a further four minutes later after a pitchside review.
Calvert-Lewin subsequently stepped up and smashed his penalty into the left corner to double Leeds’ lead with 15 minutes of regular time left.
Leeds almost wrapped up victory in the 79th minute as Wilfried Gnonto pounced on a pass across the goal, yet he flicked his shot marginally wide of the bottom-left corner.
Sebastiaan Bornauw rifled over the bar two minutes later as Leeds finished the tie on the front foot until Fernandes bundled in a 93rd-minute rebound finish after Bowen struck the post to give West Ham late hope, which led their departing fans to scurry back in with hope of forcing extra time.
That hope became reality just three minutes later as Disasi poked in Traore’s cross to restore parity but neither team couldn’t find a late winner as the tie ultimately went to extra time.
A lively start to the first half of extra time saw Castellanos volley into an empty net after he intercepted Perri’s fumbled punch, but his effort was disallowed by the offside flag.
Castellanos then saw a 100th-minute shot blocked by Perri’s head, before Pablo was offside a minute later as he tucked away a rebound finish after Bowen’s shot struck the bar.
El Hadji Malick Diouf then skyed a shot over the bar before half time within the extra-time period, whilst Mohamadou Kante fired wide in the first notable chance of the second half of extra time in the 111th minute.
20-year old Hammer, Finlay Herrick made his senior debut in the 120th minute after Areola suffered a calf injury which necessitated a change in goal, and helped the Hammers survive five minutes of injury time as neither team found a winner to prevent a penalty shootout.
Piroe stepped up first for Leeds and struck his penalty towards the bottom-left corner yet Herrick dived correctly to his right to block the shot, before Bowen fired to the opposite side for West Ham’s first penalty but Perri saved the captain’s shot.
Calvert-Lewin and Kyle Walker-Peters both dispatched their team’s second penalties before Aaronson and Soucek followed suit with the third pair of spot-kicks.
Gnonto converted Leeds’ fourth penalty but Perri dived correctly towards his right side to block Pablo’s spot-kick, which allowed Struijk to seal the Whites’ victory with a strike into the left corner off the inside of the right post.
What’s Next?
West Ham turn their focus towards a massive Premier League clash against Wolves at the London Stadium on Friday 10 April at 8pm BST.
Leeds now have a full week to prepare for their Premier League trip to Manchester United on Monday 13 April at 8pm.
Teams
West Ham: Alphonse Areola (Herrick 120′), Kyle Walker-Peters, Max Kilman, Axel Disasi, El Hadji Malick Diouf (Scarles 105′), Freddie Potts (Soucek 46′), Soungoutou Magassa (Pablo 46′), Mateus Fernandes, Jarrod Bowen, Valentin Castellanos (Kante 105′), Adama Traore (Mayers 125′)
Substitutes: Joshua Ajala, Airidas Golambeckis, Finlay Herrick, Mohamadou Kante, Keiber Lamadrid, Ezra Mayers, Pablo, Oliver Scarles, Tomas Soucek
Leeds: Lucas Perri, Joe Rodon (Bornauw 52′), Jaka Bijol, Pascal Struijk, Jayden Bogle (Piroe 105′), Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach (Aaronson 38′), James Justin, Ao Tanaka (Gruev 69′), Noah Okafor (Gnonto 69′), Lukas Nmecha (Calvert-Lewin 69′)
Substitutes: Brenden Aaronson, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Sam Byram, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Karl Darlow, Wilfried Gnonto, Ilia Gruev, Sean Longstaff, Joel Piroe
Referee – Craig Pawson
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