Luciano Becchio’s 19th goal of the season earned Leeds United an FA Cup third-round replay against Birmingham City.
The striker’s finish on the hour cancelled out an earlier goal from Wade Elliott as United recovered from a poor first-half performance and ensured their inclusion in tomorrow’s fourth-round draw.
Leeds attempted to inject some urgency into their play at the start of the second half with Sam Byram and El-Hadji Diouf replacing the ineffective Ryan Hall and Aidan White, and Becchio wasted a great chance to equalise when he broke through on Colin Doyle and fired a volley straight into the goalkeeper’s hands.
But City should have scored a second as Ravel Morrison failed by inches to putting the finishing touch to Chris Burke’s cross and Nathan Redmond narrowly failed to find the top corner of the net with an effort from 25 yards.
Jamie Ashdown kept out a strike from Redmond with his body on 59 minutes as City pushed for a second goal but Becchio equalised Elliott’s 33rd-minute strike by running onto David Norris’ deft pass and slipped a calm finish inside Colin Doyle’s far post.
Redmond and Morrison should have won the game for City but both players failed to hit the target from promising positions and the sides will now settle the tie at St Andrews on Tuesday, January 15.
Leeds United: Ashdown, Lees, Pearce, Tate, Drury, Hall, Brown, Norris, White, McCormack, Becchio. Subs (not used): Kenny, Peltier, Varney, Pugh, Diouf, Byram, Somma.
Birmingham City: Doyle, Packwood, Davies, Caldwell, Robinson, Burke, Reilly, Gomis, Elliott, Redmond, Morrison. Subs (not used): Butland, Ibanez, Gordon, Hancox, Gnahore, Hales, Henry-Francis.
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