After 180 minutes of football across West Yorkshire and Devon failed to separate Leeds United and Plymouth Argyle, Daniel Farke finally turned to Crysencio Summerville in injury time and of course, it was the Dutchman who proved to be the difference as Leeds scored three goals in extra time to progress to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup, where they will go to either Aston Villa or Chelsea.
Summerville, whose name wasn’t even on the official team sheet at the start of the night, cut in from the left flank before arrowing a magnificent right-footed finish in the 97th minute for his 13th goal of the season and with nine minutes to go, Summerville teed up another substitute in Georginio Rutter, who doubled Leeds’ advantage before Ilia Gruev’s corner took a touch off Ryan Hardie to ensure a first defeat at Plymouth for Ian Foster.
Both sides went into the game without tasting defeat in 2024 and with a place in the last 16 on the line, it was all square for just over an hour before Wilfried Gnonto finished wonderfully to give Leeds a much-deserved lead.
Yet Brendan Galloway equalised with 12 minutes of normal time remaining to send the contest into extra time.
This was a game that both of these Championship sides could have done without after a 1-1 draw at Elland Road but it was a full house at a wet and windy Home Park.
Crysencio Summerville put Leeds ahead in extra-time on a rain-lashed night at Home Park on Tuesday night
Wilfried Gnonto (right) scored Leeds’ opener from a pin-pointed strike at the top of the area
The sodden clash saw both sides head into the dressing rooms at half-time goalless
Almost 2,000 Leeds supporters made the 600-mile plus round trip down to the south coast and for the visitors, this was the second of four gruelling long-haul trips in the space of 15 days after winning at Bristol City on Friday night – next week, they travel to Swansea before returning to face Argyle in the league.
Daniel Farke made five changes from the side that won at Bristol City, with Patrick Bamford, Ethan Ampadu, Archie Gray, Rutter and Summerville all dropping to the bench.
Foster, who was Steven Gerrard’s assistant manager at Al Ettifaq before taking the Plymouth job in January, made four changes from the team that beat Swansea but it was the visitors who dominated possession and came closest in the first half, striking the bar twice in the opening 20 minutes.
First, Mateo Joseph twisted and turned wonderfully to create an angle and his shot was pushed onto the crossbar by Conor Hazard, before Joel Piroe’s left-footed strike from outside the box rattled the woodwork.
Leeds shifted up a gear after the break and 66 minutes in, the breakthrough came after Sam Byram won the ball back in the Plymouth half and Leeds moved the ball wonderfully before Glen Kamara drilled the ball into the path of Gnonto, The 20-year-old took one touch with his left foot before smashing it into the back of net with his right foot.
Both Kamara and Gnonto were taken off five minutes later as Leeds looked to see out the game, only for Plymouth to hit back with a well worked set-piece.
Whitaker looped a wicked diagonal free kick over to Ashley Phillips on the right-hand side of the six-yard box and Phillips squared for Galloway to chest home from a few yards out.
Just over ten minutes before time Plymouth bit back courtesy of a leveller from Brendan Galloway (right)
But Georginio Rutter was the second super-substitute to help Leeds break through on the road
After scoring his first goal (pictured) Summerville assisted Georginio’s to put Leeds out of sight at Home Park
Daniel Farke’s side will face either Chelsea or Aston Villa as their unbeaten 2024 continues
Farke threw on Bamford, Rutter and Summerville in a bid to get a winner in normal time and Leeds nearly won it in injury time as Joe Gelhardt’s strike hit the post.
Plymouth had a late chance of their own seconds later as Ryan Hardie’s strike at the other end was pushed behind for a corner.
In the third minute of added time, Farke sent Summerville on and in the 97th minute, he provided the moment of class to put Leeds in front.
Minutes later, he turned provider for Rutter in front of the travelling support and a late own goal from Ryan Hardie added the icing onto the cake as Leeds’s unbeaten 2024 goes on.
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