Jermaine man for Leeds again

IF EVER there was a game to restore your faith in the FA Cup, then this was it.

Drama, atmosphere and a little sprinkling of controversy: this one had the lot, from the first whistle to the final kick. Penalties scored, penalties saved, penalties not even awarded. And they’ll have to do it all again in a replay tomorrow week.

It was also the story of two men with rather similar first names.

For Jermaine Beckford, the Leeds striker, it was another day to savour. For Jermain Defoe, his Spurs counterpart, it was one to forget.

And all because of those penalties.

Beckford is the man they talk about most at Leeds these days, mainly because he is on course to reach the Premier League before they do. It was his goal at Old Trafford that knocked out Manchester United in the third round and he supplied both at White Hart Lane, including a penalty equaliser he had won himself deep into stoppage time.

With 5,000 expectant fans in front of him, the pressure was immense but Beckford showed no nerves to thrash the ball high past Heurelho Gomes and spark a party. “We’ve scored in Fergie time!” sang the away contingent long after the final whistle.

In between those landmark games, Beckford had been busy too, lodging then withdrawing a transfer request and now, unless Leeds are offered silly money, he will stay until the end of the season before becoming a free agent and joining a Premier League club.

Leeds are hoping they will no longer be a League One club by that time and though they haven’t actually won since that Old Trafford success – and were knocked off top spot by Norwich before their late kick-off cup assignment – this will probably be the case.

Leeds manager Simon Grayson is hoping so. “There is just over a week to go before the window shuts and we are not looking to let him go,” he said. “If someone offers me £10m maybe we would want to do something but he has made a stance in what he wants to do and we are fully behind him.”

Beckford still has a long way to go before he can compare himself to England international Defoe. The main event of the little man’s summer will be the World Cup finals.

But England fans of a nervous disposition are already worrying about what might happen in South Africa, especially if it all comes down to a penalty shoot-out. Defoe’s ninth-minute effort, expertly saved by the excellent Caspar Ankergren, wasn’t the first spot-kick he’s missed this term and someone else will take the next one.

Ankergren had been the busiest man in the first half as Spurs started strongly and it was down to the Dane that Leeds did not go behind until the 42nd minute, when Peter Crouch dispatched a rebound following yet another save.

The lead did not last long after the break, however, as the home side failed to deal with a Robert Snodgrass corner and Beckford bundled home from close range.

Beckford and Snodgrass continued to cause problems and with 20 minutes to go Redknapp sent on the big guns: Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko. It was the Russian who put Spurs back in front with a calm finish after Defoe had set him up. But that’s the problem with Pavlyuchenko; he’s so calm Redknapp can’t help seeing it as laziness.

“He’s got terrific ability, good skill, a good finisher,” Redknapp said of the Russian, who actually takes a good penalty too. “There are exceptions to the work ethic but you have to put a shift in and I’m not talking just about Pavlyuchenko. You can’t have two strikers who won’t work for you, who won’t run the channels and track back when they lose the ball.”

And that was indeed the sum total of the Russian’s contribution as the rest of the drama was played out at the other end. Michael Dawson was the fall-guy as referee Alan Wiley pointed to the spot after his challenge on Beckford.

REFEREE: Alan Wiley 6. – Booked plenty, mostly from Leeds and mostly justified, but it was penalty decisions were the talking points.

MATCH RATING: ***** Everything you could wish for in an FA Cup tie. Two teams playing to win and backed by noisy fans, especially Leeds.