The development of professional football is constantly evolving, gradually changing its traditional structure.
Many people still say that the FA Cup is a traditional competition and extremely important to English football fans.
But even so, it has still undergone significant changes.
Fans familiar with English football will remember that in the past, FA Cup matches were typically played with Premier League powerhouses going away to lower-league teams. The goal was to boost attendance at the lower-tier stadiums and stimulate local football markets.
Although in many cases, the big clubs would field teams full of substitutes and youth players, the popularity of these matches remained high.
Now, however, the situation has changed considerably.
Many lower-league teams, after drawing strong opponents, will instead proactively apply to have the match played at the bigger club's home stadium.
The reason is simple. Playing at a top-tier stadium means more revenue.
For example, Leeds United's opponent in the third round of the FA Cup was Crawley, a team from League Two.
Crawley Town is based in a small town in the south of England, between London and Brighton. The Broadfield Stadium has a total capacity of 6,134, but due to the presence of 3,000 standing tickets, only 3,134 tickets can be sold for FA Cup matches.
The key problem is that, due to Crawley's limited influence and the small population in the surrounding area, they can't even sell that many tickets.
So Crawley applied to the FA to have the match played at Leeds United's Amazon Stadium. At the same time, they worked with Leeds' official channels to offer tickets to all Crawley fans traveling north at Crawley's official ticket prices.
In other words, fans who traveled north to watch the game still paid Crawley's prices but got to watch the match at Amazon Stadium.
This was undoubtedly a huge temptation for Crawley fans.
The 3,000 tickets Leeds initially allocated to Crawley were quickly sold out, and another 5,000 were added.
All of that ticket revenue went to Crawley. Leeds United would deduct expenses and match-day costs from the total revenue and then split the remaining profit, giving Crawley half.
In the end, Crawley would walk away with at least several hundred thousand pounds from just one game.
For a League Two team that had long been operating at a loss, this was like manna from heaven.
For Crawley fans, although traveling up north was a bit inconvenient, since it was on a weekend, it felt more like a holiday. They could visit Leeds and watch their team play at the world-renowned Amazon Stadium, which was a rare opportunity.
This kind of thing is actually very common in today's FA Cup.
For example, Morecambe, another League Two side, drew Chelsea and also applied to have the match played at Stamford Bridge.
For this kind of trend, both the FA and English fans are generally accepting.
In fact, many lower-league teams like Crawley and Morecambe fight hard to make it to the third round of the FA Cup precisely in hopes of drawing a top team and then playing at their ground.
Several hundred thousand pounds is pocket change for a top club, but for a League Two side, it's a massive sum. It can even allow them to compete financially in their league.
As for home advantage or hopes of advancing to the next round, does that really matter?
Even if the match were played at home, and even if Leeds fielded a full lineup of substitutes and youth players, Crawley still wouldn't stand a chance.
The gap in strength is just too great.
Crawley fans who came north to support the team approached the match with a relaxed, holiday mindset. During the match, they marveled at the dreamlike technology of the Amazon Stadium and even applauded the dazzling performances of the Leeds players.
In this match, Leeds fielded an entirely young lineup.
Musiala, Kvaratskhelia, Ansu Fati, Pedri all started, and 16-year-old Gavi made his debut.
The Leeds youth squad unleashed a storm of attacking football, scoring five goals in each half and sweeping Crawley 5-0, completely dominating the visitors.
Interestingly, not only did the Crawley fans applaud from the stands, even the Crawley players applauded Leeds after the match, and many even went over to exchange shirts.
Crawley's captain and right-back, George Francomb, who came through Norwich's academy and has spent his career in the lower leagues, praised both Leeds United's stadium and their players, calling it the most dreamlike football stadium in the world.
He also spoke highly of Kvaratskhelia, the Georgian left winger who was his direct opponent.
"He's really too strong. Just like Messi, completely unstoppable!"
After the match, he exchanged shirts with Kvaratskhelia. He told the Yorkshire Post that he would keep the shirt because he believed Kvaratskhelia would become a top star in the future.
"By then, this jersey will be very meaningful."
On January 13, in the 18th round of the Premier League, Leeds United hosted Southampton.
After the winter break, Leeds United focused on recovery and preparing for the second half of the season. They adjusted the players' fitness with Buenaventura and Pintus' winter break "mini-recharge" training plan, which caused the team's form to dip slightly.
The first half ended 0-0.
At halftime, Sancho experienced some muscle tightness, forcing a substitution.
Once the second half began, Leeds quickly broke the deadlock. Just over a minute in, a through ball from Enzo Fernandez allowed Haaland to score the opener, 1-0!
Then Rodrigo, who came on for Sancho, assisted Vinicius to add a second.
In the 83rd minute, Alphonso Davies scored another.
Leeds United beat Southampton 3-0 at home.
Three days later, in the 19th round of the Premier League, Leeds United again played at home, this time against Brighton.
With two home matches in a row, the team made significant rotations.
This time, veteran captain Vardy showed outstanding form. He first assisted Valverde's goal in the 27th minute, then scored himself in the 41st minute from a Rashford pass.
In the 44th minute, Vardy assisted Valverde again.
Interestingly, both of the Uruguayan midfielder's goals came from long-range shots just outside the box, which were stunning and drew widespread attention.
With Vardy's two assists and one goal, Leeds United defeated Brighton 3-0.
The veteran captain delivered a clutch performance when the team needed him most.
In a post-match interview, Vardy said he was very satisfied with both his form and his current role.
"I'm already 33, so I definitely can't play as many games or score as many goals as I used to."
Vardy admitted his biggest issue is needing more rest.
"I think the current arrangement is pretty good."
Leeds United's official channels also praised Vardy's performance and affirmed his role within the squad.
After the 19th round, the team finally had a breather with a full week off.
Leeds United gave the players a two-day break to recover.
On January 23, in the fourth round of the FA Cup, Leeds hosted Nottingham Forest.
Just 7 minutes into the game, Kvaratskhelia dribbled past two players down the left and sent a brilliant pass to Alvarez, who calmly finished to open the scoring, 1-0!
In the 29th minute, Camavinga assisted Bellingham for another goal, extending the lead to 2-0.
In the second half, although Nottingham Forest pulled one back, Leeds responded within five minutes with another goal from Bellingham, pushing the score to 3-1.
Later, Tchouaméni assisted Alvarez for his second goal of the game, 4-1.
In the 83rd minute, substitute Musiala added the fifth, sealing a 5-1 win at home and sending Leeds into the FA Cup fifth round, the Round of 16.
Tottenham and Newcastle also advanced to the Round of 16.
Three days later, at St James' Park, Newcastle.
In the 20th round of the Premier League, Leeds faced Newcastle away from home.
As an Italian head coach, Ancelotti is a master of targeted tactics. Especially when it comes to marking key players, his preparations are meticulous.
In this match, he used Botman and Bremer to double-mark Haaland. As a result, Leeds' striker had few chances and was largely neutralized.
Haaland's only highlight came in the 17th minute, when he assisted Sancho for a goal.
After that, he was completely shut down by Newcastle's two central defenders.
Newcastle equalized in the 57th minute and even looked like they might take the lead.
But just four minutes later, Sancho assisted Rashford to restore Leeds' lead.
Ancelotti made two quick substitutions to strengthen the attack, especially bringing on dribbling expert Saint-Maximin.
The French winger remains the player with the most successful dribbles in both the Premier League and all of Europe this season. As soon as he came on, he immediately put Leeds' right-back Hakimi under immense pressure.
But Pochettino also reacted swiftly, sending on Militão to reinforce the right side defensively. As a result, although Saint-Maximin's individual performance was impressive, he was tactically contained and unable to influence the overall match.
Osimhen, meanwhile, was tightly marked by Ruben Dias and had very few chances.
In the end, Leeds held on to win 2-1 away at Newcastle.
But this one was definitely a narrow victory.
(To be continued.)