Daniel Farke said he could not have “painted a better picture” for Leeds United as they progressed to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2003.

The Whites beat his former club Norwich City 3-0 to book safe passage on a day when two more Premier League teams – Fulham and Sunderland – were knocked out.

Manchester City and Arsenal are the only teams in Monday’s draw to have beaten Leeds this term.

This victory was secured with first-half goals from Sean Longstaff and a first Leeds goal for Gabriel Gudmundsson. After a second half less comfortable than Leeds would have hoped, Joel Piroe completed the scoring after 85 minutes.

“If I could have painted a gameday for a cup competition, I would have painted it exactly in this way,” said Farke, forced to watch from the stands as he served a touchline ban.

“Compliments to Norwich, they were brave and they went for it and didn't make our life easy.

“We changed in nine positions (10 positions, but nine players from Tuesday's defeat to Sunderland) and so much rotation is never healthy normally for the performance of the team.

“You just have to have a look at other pitches (on Saturday), how much even the big names, Arsenal and Chelsea, were struggling against other sides as well.

HAPPY DAYS: Leeds United players celebrate Gabriel Gudmundsson's first goal for the club (Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

placeholder image — HAPPY DAYS: Leeds United players celebrate Gabriel Gudmundsson's first goal for the club (Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

“Today the teams around us in the table who have rotated are out of the competition. Not us, we have delivered with overall a really solid performance.

“I think you could feel we need 10-15 minutes to come into the game but after that we played an excellent first half, scored two goals, two goals were also ruled out with VAR.

“We missed also two or three chances but overall to score three goals and also against the in-form and also brave Norwich City side, to deliver a clean sheet, to not allow chances until the 91st minute – there was one chance (before that, for Anis Bin Slimane) and you know where we could have perhaps a bit more switched on but overall you can't take it for granted when so many players come in.

“We could bring important minutes into some legs of some players who desperately need this and we still have delivered as a group a really good performance and are through into the next round.”

On his team's prospects in the competition, he added: “It's over two decades ago that we were (in the quarter-finals) the last time it's still not realistic for us to win this cup but who knows?

“We want to enjoy this cup run a bit longer so the dream is still ongoing and we're looking forward to hopefully another home game.

“We took it as motivation to be able perhaps to write another piece of history for this amazing club and long may this dream continue. Who knows what the outcome will be.

“There's always a chance but you still have more or less the big names through with Liverpool, with Man City, with Arsenal, with Chelsea, so we are still not the favourites to win the cup but we also know when we have a good day we can win, especially one game against everyone.

“Apart from us just seven other teams are capable to win this cup competition.”