Leeds United 1-1 Birmingham
- Published
Luciano Becchio's second-half strike earned Leeds United an FA Cup third-round replay against Championship rivals Birmingham City.
The Argentine striker neatly finished David Norris's throughball to score his 19th goal of the season.
Wade Elliott had put the visitors deservedly ahead before half-time with a stunning long-range shot.
Whites boss Neil Warnock missed the match with a virus, but his team still booked a replay at St Andrew's.
Warnock was given credit for his side's second-half turnaround, with assistant Mick Jones admitting afterwards that the Leeds manager issued his half-time team-talk through a mobile phone loudspeaker.
Few clear-cut chances were created by either side, although Birmingham tested Leeds goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown through first-half efforts from Elliott, Ravel Morrison and Nathan Redmond.
Leeds defender Jason Pearce's downward header from a Ross McCormack free-kick rebounded off the post, before Norris was denied by Colin Doyle, who started in place of England goalkeeper Jack Butland.
The running of ex-Manchester United youngster Morrison was causing a number of problems for Leeds and forced their defence to drop deeper.
And they backed off to allow Elliott to run freely with the ball from the halfway line before he fizzed a smart shot past Ashdown and into the top-right hand corner.
Leading goalscorer Becchio spurned a great opportunity by volleying straight at Doyle before making amends shortly afterwards with the leveller.
Birmingham's disappointment was compounded when teenage defender Will Packwood was carried off on a stretcher with a suspected broken leg.
- Published5 January 2013
- Published1 January 2013
- Published1 January 2013