Daniel Farke's Leeds United priority revealed at Chelsea - Graham Smyth's Verdict on FA Cup exit

In the wake of a 3-2 defeat it would be easy to talk about the FA Cup as a distraction or frivolity that needed to be put to one side, in order that Farke and his men could concentrate on the real 2023/24 season business. The way Leeds played, the fact that they led the game early on, dominated the second half and only lost to an expensively-assembled Premier League outfit in the 90th minute, made it even easier to almost patronise this game and this competition. Well done Chelsea, you beat a Championship team in a competition that is entirely secondary to their league ambitions. Well done Leeds, brave, brave Leeds. Now back to your porridge.

The way Leeds played, though, not only belied the gulf in quality between the two squads and the injury issues Farke had to contend with, it suggested none of those things really matter to the German. It showed that to him, winning is all, regardless of competition or circumstance. And that the real priority is giving the travelling hordes from Yorkshire what they deserve, every single time.

An away end that held 5,000-plus Leeds fans was given every reason to outsing the home support for the vast majority of the evening, because from the outset their players went after Chelsea and Farke went after a win. Yes, there was no Georginio Rutter or Ilia Gruev, at all, and none of Patrick Bamford, Willy Gnonto or Crysencio Summerville started. But Dan James did and he was nipping at the gloves of Robert Sanchez from minute one. The winger's pace created the first chance for the visitors and subsequently brought the opener. He chased a Joe Rodon long ball, bumped a defender and attempted a lob that fell wide of the Chelsea goal. The hosts took the resulting goal-kick, got it horribly wrong and Archie Gray's challenge forced the ball into the feet of Mateo Joseph, who drilled in his first ever senior goal.

As starts go, it was just about perfect. There was no sense whatsoever of Leeds' focus being elsewhere and Chelsea knew right away that they were in a scrap. Leeds were in one too, though, because all that money has to mean something and a slick attack down the right had the Blues level. One-touch football, a one-touch Nicolas Jackson finish and in the blink of an eye it was 1-1.

Chelsea got on top, as they should have. They saw lots of possession, as Farke expected them to. But there were moments for Leeds, flashes of Gray's burgeoning brilliance in his natural midfield role, reminders of Ethan Ampadu's long-range passing.

A second Chelsea goal, from a second quick, incisive foray on the right, came from the boot of Mykhailo Mudryk and might well have done for most teams outside of the top flight. It could have been a sliding doors moment and the opening of floodgates. But a chance for James, at the back post, at the end of the half, hinted that Leeds were far from done.

The early minutes of the second half did little to dissuade the notion that there might yet be joy for the second tier men against the top table dwellers, and Farke's youngest two players were at the heart of it. Gray's little bit of skill started a move. Joseph's tidy turn fooled Enzo Fernández into a yellow card. Gray's tenacious recovery of the ball and his dink over an outstretched foot teed up Junior Firpo for a cross in a dangerous position. Before you knew it, Leeds were the side on top. Before Chelsea could respond, Leeds were level.

Once again, the kids were key. Gray danced out of challenges, plural, right on the edge of his area and set Leeds off on another attack. Jaidon Anthony curled in the most perfect cross and Joseph arrived, with the timing and the headed finish of a wily poacher beyond his years. The very last thing Leeds' promotion rivals wanted to see was another young player announcing himself emphatically on the senior stage and yet here was Joseph, on a hat-trick, at Stamford Bridge.

He turned provider, next, slotting a fine ball down the right channel for Joel Piroe, whose shot was blocked. The sheer scale of Leeds' dominance in possession made another chance feel likely and it was Joseph on the end of it, but when the cross came in this time, from James, he got the header wrong.

The arrival of Gnonto and Summerville almost took the game away from Chelsea. The Italian fed the Dutchman and he glided to the edge of the box, where he should have just shot, yet instead he attempted to return the ball to Gnonto. That maybe was the sliding doors moment, because in the 90th minute Chelsea won it through Conor Gallagher. Any feelings of injustice were only heightened when Liam Cooper came agonisingly close to getting on the end of a stoppage time corner, but the full-time whistle brought joy, not bitterness.

What Leeds delivered to the 5,000 who sang and danced and celebrated at full-time, was something to be proud of. That's Farke's priority this season. "I encouraged them to be brave, stick to our principles, you can't defend this individual quality for 90 minutes, you have to have as many periods as possible when you dominate," he said after. "This is our DNA, we want to have the ball. I think the way is also quite important, not just the target. It's not always a fair outcome. The way we played, over the whole 90 minutes, made us all proud. Our supporters have a good sense for this and that's why they celebrated the team at the end. They can be really proud of themselves tonight, it won't kill our momentum."

The celebration police will be out on their rounds, no doubt, but Leeds United fans are enjoying their football again thanks to a team who play good stuff and try to dominate and win every game. This is what football should be. Going up against the so-called big boys and throwing punches in bunches, instead of from behind a defensive shell, is to be admired. Playing how you play, because that’s what you believe in, no matter where, when or against whom can breed success. It did for Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds. And because Farke wants to win everything, all the time, because he has his priorities right, Leeds need not save themselves for the league or concern themselves unduly with a cup defeat. Come Saturday there will be a new game to win and regardless of who makes it back from injury, they will go after it. As Leeds United always should.