Daniel Farke says Leeds are ‘for sure’ the ‘underdogs’ in their FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea, but his side will be ‘greedy’ for victory when they take to the field at Wembley later this month.
Leeds secured their spot in the last four of the cup for the first time in 39 years thanks to a dramatic penalty shootout win over West Ham at the London Stadium.
It was a pulsating contest in the capital, with Farke’s men seemingly cruising after Calvert-Lewin had doubled the visitors’ lead from the spot following Ao Tanaka’s opener.
But there was an almighty momentum shift as Mateus Fernandes reduced the deficit in the third minute of stoppage time after scores of Hammers supporters had already left the stadium in frustration.
Axel Disasi equalised just moments later to put West Ham firmly in the ascendancy heading into extra-time, only for Leeds to prevail on penalties after the two teams could not be separated.
Lucas Perri was the hero for Leeds, making two big saves in a nerve-shredding shootout, to help send his team just two wins away from the famous trophy.
A day earlier, Chelsea ensured they advanced through with an emphatic 7-0 thrashing of League One outfit Port Vale at Stamford Bridge.
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In this year’s other semi-final, Manchester City will lock horns with Southampton, who stunned Premier League leaders Arsenal to seal their spot at Wembley.
‘We will be the underdog, that’s for sure,’ Farke told BBC Sport when asked for his reaction to the draw shortly after Leeds’ dramatic victory over West Ham.
‘It’s a big name and a side full of top players. For that we are the underdog but we have written history.
‘Nobody expected us to go though to the semi-final. And of course we are greedy to go to the next step.
‘My focus now is on the Premier League. We are on such a good path and want to make sure we can celebrate there.’
Speaking to TNT Sports, Calvert-Lewin said he and the rest of Leeds’ squad would be ready and prepared for a ‘difficult’ test against Chelsea under the Wembley arch.
‘It’s always going to be a difficult match against Chelsea,’ the Leeds and England striker said.
‘They’re a good side, but it’s the FA Cup, we’re going to Wembley. Excited.
‘I’ve never had the opportunity to play at Wembley for at club level before, so for me it was a big chance today.
‘When it went to 2-2, I thought maybe it’s not meant to be, but thankfully, we stuck in there and got the win.’
When will the FA Cup semi-finals and final be played?
The two semi-final ties will take place on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at Wembley.
The two winning teams will return to the stadium for this year’s final on May 16.
Asked what Leeds manager had Farke told the squad before extra-time, Calvert-Lewin explained: ‘I think they started overloading out wide and it was the basics of football, defending crosses and stopping crosses, which we didn’t do very well.
‘And you’ve got to be prepared for them to come forward and get themselves back in the game, and I think we just let ourselves down with that.
‘They had momentum and we managed to hold out and win on penalties.
‘I had a good feeling, particularly before I came on, that there was going to be chances to make an impact. And when you’re on the pitch and they’ve got the ball and I’m up front in position, all I’m thinking about is I hope they don’t score.
‘I wasn’t really thinking about the neutral. I was focused on scoring and stopping them from scoring.’
On his spot-kick to make it 2-0 against the Irons, Calvert-Lewin said: ‘Just basics, I did what I always do.
‘It’s no secret that I missed my last one against [Crystal] Palace away, so it was a big moment for me to make sure I put it away properly. And I’ve been practicing in training just drilling it.
‘When you miss one you want to go through your processes again and I have a process and I knew where I was going this time and put it away.’
Who will win this year’s FA Cup?
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