Leeds produced a rousing display to dump Everton out of the Capital One Cup on a breathless night at Elland Road.
Rodolph Austin delivered the knockout blow from close
range 20 minutes from time, after Aidan White had given Leeds a dream
start after four minutes.
Sylvain Distin pulled a goal back with a towering header nine minutes from time and Nikica Jelavic went close as Everton finally found their rhythm.
But Leeds stood firm to spark wild celebrations at the final whistle.
Leeds roll back the years
- Leeds have now won all three of their League Cup ties with Everton (the other two in December 1991 and January 1978)
- This was the first meeting between the sides since a 1-1 Premier League draw at Elland Road in April 2004.
- Neil Warnock's side had been knocked out of the competition by Premier League opposition on each of the last seven occasions before tonight.
Everton manager David Moyes wore
a look of disbelief at the final whistle, having made six changes from
the side that beat Swansea so convincingly on Saturday.
And while the Scot may have questioned the commitment
of his players, he could not dispute the result on a night when Leeds
tackled, battled, denied space and dominated territory to reach the
fourth round of the competition for only the second time in the past
decade.
Tactically smart, Leeds' work-rate was also admirable, their players often doubling up on Everton's main threats like Marouane Fellaini, while Victor Anichibe found he had unwelcome, unstinting company throughout. El Hadji Diouf was tremendous throughout, frustrating and counfounding Everton's defence with a selfless display.
This was a rare whiff of the big-time for a club whose staple diet became top-flight football for so long - the glamour was in short supply, however. Thousands of empty seats and the driving Yorkshire rain saw to that.
But few were moaning about the weather when White erupted on to a loose ball after four minutes, surged beyond Fellaini and between the Everton centre backs before placing the ball beyond goalkeeper Jan Mucha and into the corner with a clinical left-foot shot.
White was on the end of another clever Leeds attack seven minutes before the interval, gathering the ball on the edge of the penalty area after a delighftul exchange of passes between Becchio and Diouf, but his shot was too close to Mucha.
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Leeds could and should have extended their lead in the
dying moments of the first half but Becchio's close-range header was
parried by the unwitting Mucha and Steven Naismith clear the ball off
the line.
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Everton had to improve after the interval and they did. Steven Pienaar fired over from the edge of the penalty area as Everton began to tick. Anichebe picked out Naismith with a pinpoint cross from the left, only for the Scotland international to head woefully wide from six yards.
Yet still Leeds remained a danger. Diouf was a constant menace for Everton and his free-kick picked out Danny Pugh on the edge of the area and his uncertain goal-bound shot bobbled through a crowd of players before Austin steered it inside the post to send Elland Road into raptures.
Everton finally rose up to find hope and with it purpose to make a game of it. Pienaar's free-kick wide on the left was headed on by Anichebe and Distin rose up and headed forcefully beyond Leeds goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown.
Jelavic tested Ashdown with a header from six yards moments later, while a late penalty shout was waved away when Fellaini's struck Jason Pearce's shoulder. But Leeds weathered the cold, the rain and Everton's storm to cling on.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19632366
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