Leeds fans’ tears are of joy as pain over Becchio dims

Lovers of musicals will be familiar with the evocative song which spoke of Argentina not crying for its fated heroine, Eva Peron.

The majority of yesterday’s Leeds United-supporting audience were also coming to terms with a painful loss involving the impending exit of another native of that South American country; the lad from Cordoba who they have taken to their hearts, Luciano Becchio.

Yesterday’s game will have certainly aided in the grieving process as United showed Bradford City do not have the sole patent on Cup shocks in West Yorkshire.

A captivating display sent Spurs spinning out of the FA Cup.

Ahead of the last major occasion at Elland Road just prior to Christmas, against Chelsea, a commodity so rare in the previous 18 months – optimism – had been prevalent among Whites in a week which saw GFH C officially take over.

A month on, much of that positivity had dissipated prior to the arrival of another team from the capital that United had sparred with on a yearly basis in the increasingly distant past.

The snow may have melted overnight, but a chill clutched at LS11 yesterday lunch-time, with the forecast a decidedly gloomy one as far as many United fans were concerned.

A depression caused by the transfer request submitted by Becchio smothered the build-up to this tie like a thick fog, with the Argentinian not in the match-day squad, or at the ground for that matter, as he seeks sunnier climes.

By the final whistle, things had warmed up somewhat for United’s legions.

Leeds started out what is likely to be life without Becchio with Ross McCormack and Luke Varney taking on a considerable load up front, and ex-White Hart Lane player Michael Brown handed the captain’s armband for the day by manager Neil Warnock.

It was a special afternoon not only for the engine-room veteran, but also a shy Leeds lad from Little London in the shape of Aaron Lennon with the 3,000 Spurs fans present soon heralding him with a ditty early on, followed by a defiant cry of “Yorkshire, Yorkshire” from the Kop.

The roars were of the ecstatic variety on 15 minutes. Kyle Naughton switched off following Brown’s hopeful loft forward with Varney, in a left-sided attacking role, showing commendable composure to home in on goal before steering the ball effortlessly past Brad Friedel.

Varney’s reaction was somewhat understated, perhaps a response to the sarcastic chant of ‘Varney for England’ which serenaded his appearance in the third-round replay at St Andrew’s.

Many Spurs fans probably do not need reminding of how Elland Road proved a real house of pain when they lost a semi-final here to Daniel Amokachi-inspired Everton in the Spring of 1995. So it proved again, with some help from Varney – this was just his second goal of a near barren campaign.

Warnock had spoken beforehand about his willingness paying to watch the likes of Gareth Bale and Lennon. But the decorated pairing got short-change out of pumped-up United in a pugnacious first-half showing. United were at it from the start and Spurs – five of whose outfield players took to the pitch in gloves – just meandered along.

Incredibly, marvellously, United secured a two-goal buffer over the eight-time Cup winners five minutes into the second half with a delicious offering from McCormack, who latched onto El-Hadji Diouf’s throughball before deceiving Stephen Caulker and firing a screamer past Friedel.

It represented further misery for harassed defenders Caulker and Jan Vertonghen, who looked nothing remotely like international centre-halves.

With the afternoon starting to assume nightmarish proportions for Spurs, hope flickered on 57 minutes when Clint Dempsey’s well-timed header looped over Jamie Ashdown following Bale’s cross.

You sensed it might be a long final half-hour for United, with Bale showing signs of rediscovering his mojo.

Not that United retreated into their shells; Diouf and McCormack displayed touches of quality to match their lofty opponents and Sam Byram further confirmed his burgeoning reputation.

In truth, every home player delivered sizeable contributions.

A thundering late challenge by Lee Peltier to deny substitute John Obkia typified Leeds’s unquenchable commitment, and a day which started off with clouds finished with a big silver lining.

Both Diouf and McCormack, replaced in the final stages, received grand ovations – as did every manjack of the Leeds side at the final whistle after they ran themselves to a standstill.

Penny for your thoughts, Luciano.