Leeds United's FA Cup 'upset' as Bamford's magic moment prompts phonecall - Graham Smyth's Verdict

Ordinarily the bigger club in a cup tie wants there to be a complete absence of magic when this brilliant tournament rolls around each season. Magic is the unpredictable, the unexpected and ordinarily a result that gives the rest of the country what it wants. In this case, the nation would have wanted Peterborough United to upset the odds and dump the Whites out of the competition. All together now: "Leeds, Leeds are..."

But Leeds themselves had already confounded the odds with a history-making 13th straight away draw, before even taking to the bobbly surface at London Road. And what then transpired was an upset of sorts, because Leeds bucked their own trend of underwhelming recent historical outings against lower league opponents and produced a performance so professional that the rest of the country never got a sniff of their hearts' desire. Peterborough are a good side, in good form and they play good football. This was a difficult draw. And yet an early enough first half lead and two more goals in the second half gave the Whites a deserved 3-0 victory and a place in the fourth round. All very straightforward. Not at all very Leeds.

Let's get straight to the magic though, because what were the chances of Bamford hitting the net in the way he did? His strike was of a standard that would have raised the eyebrows of Gabriel Batistuta, Thierry Henry or Marco van Basten. It was good enough to prompt a Posh fan to ring up BBC Five Live's 606 programme and declare it the best he had seen in 65 years of match attendance at London Road. That gent was not the only one of a Peterborough persuasion to have applauded in the seconds after the ball hit the net. It was that good.

Ethan Ampadu sent the ball up to Bamford who controlled 25 yards from goal on his chest in midair, landed and then before it could bounce sorted his feet out quickly enough to swivel and sweep a sweet volley away from the despairing dive of Fynn Talley. Words simply do not do it justice. It was a moment of magic to match any.

Selecting Bamford for this cup tie made a lot of sense for former striker Daniel Farke because he has often spoken of the need for centre forwards to get into their rhythm and find their confidence. On New Year's Day Bamford received his first start of the Championship season and marked it with a goal, a neat headed finish from a few yards out. If that was enough to put a smile on his face, what followed six days later at Peterborough should have him springing into Leeds' next outing at Cardiff City. And hey presto, Leeds have a striker in form and far fitter than he has been in a long time. Beyond that, on a personal level, Bamford has had a truly rancid time of it in the last couple of years. Injuries have robbed him of the chance to even kick a ball, never mind caress one into the net from 25 yards on the volley. The days of a fanbase purring over his Premier League goals, like when he stuck three past Villa, feel like a lifetime ago. So this day, for him, was magic.

Number nine was not where the interest was found when Farke's team sheet landed at 1pm on Sunday, though. When you reach a certain height in the football pyramid, specifically the upper echelons of the Championship and the Premier League, the early rounds of the FA Cup can be a useful exercise in seeing what lies just beneath the surface of a squad. Team selections can lay bare precisely where a player lies in the manager's estimations. Charlie Cresswell failing to make the 20-man list to face League One opposition was therefore always going to invite questions. As was his dad, former Leeds striker Richard, posting an image of Charlie on Instagram with the caption: "Be nice to see him play at some point."

With Pascal Struijk out injured and Liam Cooper nursing a reaction to last Monday's game against Birmingham, Cresswell looked a logical solution, particularly with Farke's recent words on how highly he rates the youngster still ringing so clearly. Instead, Ethan Ampadu, who might have valued a first rest of the season, found himself moving back to the position he has played more than any other in his career and partnering Joe Rodon.

When a manager makes any kind of change he makes himself vulnerable to criticism but vindication is found in performances and results. What followed from Rodon and Ampadu at the back left zero room for any argument, other than hypothetical ones, that Cresswell should have started. That has been the way of it this season when it comes to Rodon and the right side of that central defensive area because the Welsh international has barely put a foot wrong. He was imperious again against Posh. What that ultimately means for Cresswell and the rest of this season was a question for another day because Farke was in no mood to be drawn on it after the game.

Jamie Shackleton's return at right-back allowed Archie Gray to go back into midfield to partner Ilia Gruev and the duo started well, the latter getting a foot in to nip Peterborough possession in the bud high up the pitch. Leeds refused to give their hosts any time, smothering them out of possession, and that led directly to a golden chance for an opener when Talley passed straight to Gray and the teen just couldn't put enough on his finish to beat the keeper. On the ball Leeds started well too. Willy Gnonto, another of Farke's changes, whipped in a cross that Bamford glanced on target, Tally making a fine save.

Posh eventually settled, though, having persisted with their possession football, continued to take risks and eventually they came close to reaping a reward. Ampadu was forced into a vital challenge in the area, just before Ephron Mason-Clark skinned Shackleton and brought another big intervention from the Welshman. The left flank almost brought joy again when full-back Harrison Burrows got forward to cross for Ricky-Jade Jones, who poked wide.

What Leeds needed was to put the plucky League One upstarts in their place and quash a full-scale rebellion before it was fully formed, and it took a weird moment for the visitors to do so. Referee Sam Allison awarded Leeds a free-kick just outside the area and was preparing to blow his whistle when Jaidon Anthony began his run up. The whistle did go before Anthony could make contact with the ball, but only by a split second, leaving Posh defenders frozen as the cross found Bamford. Ampadu took full advantage of the confusion to crash in his first ever Leeds goal.

To their credit, Peterborough did not fold or go away. The impressive Hector Kyprianou poked a shot just past the post, via a deflection. And then the Gnonto show commenced, the winger taking a brainless yellow card for time wasting before going down in the area under a challenge that could only reasonably merit a penalty and a second yellow for Josh Knight. Refere Allison saw it differently and yet did not produce the second yellow for Gnonto that the home fans wanted.

Before the game Farke spoke of the need to show resilience and mental strength if the referee gave poor decisions against Leeds and though for a brief time Gnonto let his heart rule his head as he remonstrated with the officials, the Whites were not knocked off their stride and went down the tunnel at the break 1-0 leaders.

It was all set up for a potentially tricky second half when, within 120 seconds of the restart, Bamford went into his hat and pulled out a wondergoal. Leeds were then in full control, not fully dominant but comfortable. Gruev was nipping in, Gray was making all the right decisions and Rodon was Rodoning.

Despite chances for David Ajiboye and Ephron Mason-Clark, it was Leeds who scored next to kill off the tie and it was Ampadu who got it - you wait all season for a goal and then two come along at once - heading in a pinpoint Daniel James corner to put the Whites in the fourth round. The FA Cup sorting hat now takes centre stage, and acknowledging that it has put Leeds in the away house an inconceivable number of times, Farke has stated that he would like a home draw. Now wouldn't that be magic?