Leeds United: Five memorable United FA Cup round four wins

A HUGE travelling army of 6,800 Leeds United fans will be heading over the Pennines to the Macron Stadium this weekend - in the hope of the visitors keeping their competitive fires burning in 2015-16 with a fourth-round victory at crisis club Bolton Wanderers.
Leeds United's Luke Varney battles for the ball with Tottenham Hotspur's Kyle Walker in the FA Cup fourth round in 2013.Leeds United's Luke Varney battles for the ball with Tottenham Hotspur's Kyle Walker in the FA Cup fourth round in 2013.
Leeds United's Luke Varney battles for the ball with Tottenham Hotspur's Kyle Walker in the FA Cup fourth round in 2013.

The carrot for Leeds is a place in the last 16 of the world’s most enduring cup competition for only the second time in 13 years. But first things first, in the shape of Bolton - although if United require any pre-match inspiration, here’s five noteworthy fourth-round occasions when they hit the headlines.

Neil Warnock’s finest hour of a low-key spell in charge at Elland Road saw United send Spurs packing at a blustery Elland Road.

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Luke Varney ran clear to give Leeds after Tottenham failed to convert a series of first-half chances.

Ross McCormack made it 2-0 after more poor defending allowed him to turn inside Steve Caulker and slam home and despite Clint Dempsey pulling one back, it was Leeds’s afternoon.

2: Manchester City 2 Leeds United 5, 2000.

Premiership frontrunners United, on the crest of a wave, outclassed City in a five-star performance at Maine Road.

Four goals were shared in the first 20 minutes as City twice shocked their cross-Pennine rivals before Leeds took charge, with Harry Kewell netting a brace.

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Eirik Bakke, Alan Smith and Lee Bowyer were also on target for the Whites, with Shaun Goater and Ian Bishop netting early goals for City.

3: Portsmouth 1 Leeds United 5, 1999.

David Wetherall, Ian Harte, Harry Kewell, Bruno Ribiero and Clyde Wijnhard helped themselves to goals as the Whites enjoyed a late winter party on the south coast with an emphatic slaying of sorry Pompey.

Despite five different players finding the net, there was only one true star of the show in the shape of Kewell - who scored one goal and created another in a sumptuous performance.

All this came after Pompey took a shock early lead through Luke Nightingale, but after that, it was one-way traffic by the Solent - with the pick of the United goals being a blockbuster of a free-kick from Harte.

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United progressed serenely into the fifth round for a meeting with former manager George Graham’s Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road.

4: Wimbledon 0 Leeds United 1, 1975.

Allen Batsford’s non-league Wimbledon – fresh from knocking out top-flight Burnley – pushed mighty Leeds all the way before bowing out 1-0 in a replay in front of an incredible 45,071 gate at Selhurst Park.

The exploits of the Southern League high-fliers and more especially Dickie Guy, who saved a Peter Lorimer penalty at Elland Road to secure a replay after a 0-0 draw, captivated the country. But Leeds edged through, courtesy of an own goal.

5: Leeds United 2 Liverpool 0, 1972.

A classic cup tie, four days after a goalless first instalment at Anfield, saw Leeds progress with Allan Clarke firing both goals.

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United were forced to play the replay on a weekday afternoon because of the power crisis caused by the miners’ strike, but Elland Road was crammed to capacity with hundreds locked out.

A Clarke lob from Billy Bremner’s pass made it 1-0 on 22 minutes and the goalpoacher supreme settled the tie with a sublime second two minutes after the hour mark – as the Whites clinched a third seasonal win over the Reds.