Leeds United were back on the BBC just a week after beating Everton on Match of the Day but this time were on the main channel as their FA Cup Semi-Final clash with Manchester United was part of BBC 1’s Saturday Night Sports Special.

Kenneth Wolstenholme presented the show but he was at the other semi final between Liverpool and Chelsea at Villa Park with Alan Weeks despatched to Sheffield for this War of the Roses.

And War is a suitable word to describe a brutal match which was the pre-cursor to battles between these two sides over the next few years as the United’s of Leeds and Manchester began a fight for pre-eminence in the English game.

Manchester United had the pedigree at that time and particularly in the FA Cup which they had won on three previous occasions including a 3-1 win over Leicester City just three years before. Leeds on the other hand were contesting the first FA Cup semi-final in the clubs history, but were certainly not overawed by either the opponent or the occasion.

The two sides were placed in 2nd and 3rd in the First Division, and were due to meet in a pivotal clash three weeks later. Leeds had had the upper hand in the first league meeting of the season, winning at Old Trafford in early December so certainly went into the game with nothing to fear from their illustrious opponents.

No footage of the game can be found but if there was any, the highlights would surely be only brief ones. On a churned up Hillsborough pitch, made even worse by overnight rain, the two sides served up a running battle rather than a football match which seemed always destined to finish goalless.

What was more remarkable was that the game ended with 11 players from each side left on the field. From the opening moments when Billy Bremner chopped down Bobby Charlton, earning himself a finger wagging from the Manchester United man, the match was littered with fouls which were allowed to continue throughout thanks to a lenient refereeing display from Mr Windle of Chesterfield who was “in control” of the game.

With the pitch resembling a ploughed field both sides tried to use the wings to create opportunities, but the flair players fared no better and both George Best and Albert Johanneson suffered rough treatment that left them as virtual passengers.

Mr Windle did book Nobby Stiles and Denis Law for challenges that even he considered to be excessive, but remarkably allowed Law to remain on the pitch following the games biggest talking point. The Scotsman reacted to a shirt pull from Jack Charlton by squaring up the Leeds centre half and provoking a bout of fisticuffs which saw players from both sides pile in. Law’s shirt was ripped in the brawl but incredibly no player was booked form either side with Leeds simply being awarded a free kick.

Manchester United had the better of the play but with neither goal seriously threatened, both sides prepared for Round Two at the City Ground the following Wednesday.