Leeds United turned in an impressive performance at Elland Road, easing past Norwich City 3-0 in the FA Cup fifth round to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2003.
Sean Longstaff, back in the starting line-up, opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, and Gabriel Gudmundsson struck just before the break to give the hosts a comfortable two-goal cushion.
Leeds continued to control the contest after half-time, keeping Norwich largely quiet, before Joel Piroe wrapped things up with his first goal of the season to complete a convincing 3-0 win.
The FA Cup clash was always going to be an opportunity for some of the squad players to shine, and Longstaff grabbed his chance with both hands with a brilliant goal and performance.
Sean Longstaff deserves an apology from Daniel Farke
Leeds signed Sean Longstaff from Newcastle last summer, and he looked indispensable in the first half of the season, where his added physicality gave something different to the Leeds midfield.
However, a calf injury towards the end of November sidelined him for several weeks, and he only returned to action in January.
Longstaff has not started a Premier League game since his return from the injury and was an unused substitute in the last two league games against Manchester City and Sunderland, respectively.
He got his chance to shine against Norwich, and he scored a brilliant goal to help Leeds win 3-0 and progress to the last eight of the FA Cup.
| Competition | Matches | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 17 | 1 | 2 | 946 |
| FA Cup | 3 | 1 | 0 | 207 |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| Total | 21 | 2 | 2 | 1,243 |
The former Newcastle star looked assured in the middle alongside Ao Tanaka and produced a fine performance to give the Leeds manager some selection headaches.
It is baffling that Farke could not accommodate Longstaff, a player signed for his Premier League experience, in the starting eleven since his return from injury.
He reminded everyone on Sunday why Leeds signed him last summer and why he deserves to return to the starting eleven for Premier League games.
Who will he replace?
Longstaff has provided a strong case for him to start in Premier League games again, but who can Farke drop to accommodate the former Newcastle star?
Ethan Ampadu is an automatic selection in the middle of the park for Leeds, and Anton Stach’s physicality and set-piece deliveries make him essential.
For now, Ilia Gruev’s place looks to be under threat if Longstaff has to return to the starting eleven against Crystal Palace next Sunday.
The Bulgarian was always going to come under pressure if Longstaff put on a good performance against Norwich City in the FA Cup.
Farke has some thinking to do in the coming days before finalising the starting eleven for the trip to Selhurst Park at the weekend.
