Leeds United will have to pull off a miracle on the final day or face playoff drama.
Kieran McKenna, manager of Ipswich Town, never anticipated to be involved in a promotion race, but after Tuesday’s huge win at Coventry City, he suddenly appears ready to beat Leeds United to a top-two position in the Championship.
Ipswich took a significant step toward their second automatic promotion in as many seasons after defeating Coventry City 2-1 at the CBS Arena. Kieffer Moore and Cameron Burgess scored for the Tractor Boys, one before and one after halftime. Haji Wright’s drilled attempt cancelled out the former just after halftime, but McKenna’s troops rallied to secure a critical three points.
With their victory, Ipswich regained second position and are currently three points ahead of Leeds with only one game remaining on Saturday. A point at home to effectively relegated Huddersfield Town would ensure McKenna’s side joins Leicester as a Premier League team, and the Ipswich manager thinks it all occurred faster than anyone anticipated.
“It was another emotional night, we’ve had a few of those,” McKenna told Sky Sports. “It’s a fantastic night to celebrate in front of our supporters. We realize that the significance of tonight will be determined on Saturday, therefore that is our next focus.
“I don’t believe anyone expected [a promotion charge], to be honest. We wanted to come up, develop a culture, and impose our own style of play. There are 46 games in which we can reveal our identity and discover how many points we can earn.
“We’ve done incredibly well, and to be at 93 points with one game left is a great number. I never imagined this could happen so rapidly. I came here because of the club’s ambitions. The voyage has quickened, I must say.”
Leeds can still beat Ipswich to the second automatic promotion spot, but only if they pull off a last-minute miracle. Daniel Farke’s team face Southampton at Elland Road and must win to have any chance, while West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town must do them a great benefit by beating Ipswich at Portman Road.
If Ipswich wins by a point or more on Saturday, Leeds will be forced to play playoff football, with regrets over squandered opportunities to close the gap. Leeds might have gone four points ahead with a win at Queens Park Rangers on Friday, but instead lost 4-0, their biggest defeat of the season at the worst time.
A third-place finish will pit Leeds against the sixth-place finishers in the playoff semi-finals. West Brom presently hold that slot, but any of them, Norwich City or Hull City, might end up there on Saturday. Fourth-placed Southampton will face either Norwich or West Brom, with the winners of each two-legged semi-final meeting at Wembley on Sunday, May 26.
Leeds has a dismal record in the playoffs, with all five attempts to advance through that route failing in both the Championship and League One. Marcelo Bielsa’s squad lost at home to Derby County in their most recent effort during the 2018/19 season.
