FAC: Manchester United 0-1 Leeds

FAC: Manchester United 0-1 Leeds

Published Jan. 3, 2010 4:46 p.m. ET

League One leaders Leeds dumped Manchester United out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford, where Jermaine Beckford was the hero in a 1-0 victory.

Simon Grayson's Whites went into Sunday's third-round tie with spirits high having won three successive league games - and the 9,000 travelling fans were celebrating wildly on 19 minutes when Beckford latched onto Jonny Howson's long ball and poked home his 20th goal of the season.

It should have been 2-0 to the visitors minutes later but Luciano Becchio headed a great chance over the crossbar from close range after Neil Kilkenny's right-wing cross.

And it was end to end stuff as Wayne Rooney sprang the offside trap on 24, only to see his goalbound shot cleared off the line by Jason Crowe.

Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov had started the game up front, but Sir Alex Ferguson also threw on Michael Owen from the bench for Anderson on 69, with the England striker scuffing a right-footed shot into the path of Rooney, who ballooned his attempt high over the crossbar.

United star Rooney steered another good chance wide of the target, but Beckford nearly put the icing on the cake on 78, when his low 18-yard drive whistled inches wide of the upright with Tomasz Kuszczak beaten.

Tension and nerves from both sets of fans filled the Theatre of Dreams in the closing stages, and Robert Snodgrass smacked the woodwork with a delicious curling free-kick on 80 minutes.

Owen went down just outside the box looking for a penalty which was correctly ignored - and the Whites held their nerve in stoppage time to secure a first win at Old Trafford since 1981 and put their name in the hat for round four.

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