Leeds United gained a point on their closest Championship rivals with Monday’s draw at Burnley.
Chris Wilder has warned his Sheffield United squad will need to be at their best every week, with little sign of any Championship promotion candidate ‘easing up’ between now and May.
Sheffield United are now two points behind league leaders Leeds United following a rollercoaster weekend at the top of the Championship. The Blades kicked it all off with a miserable 3-0 defeat at home to Hull City, with fourth-placed Sunderland then conceding in the 90th minute to draw 2-2 against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
That meant Leeds and Burnley had a great opportunity to pull away, but they drew 0-0 at Turf Moor on Monday, a result that probably satisfied all of the top four. Daniel Farke’s side was part of an incredible four-team race last season, and that appears to be the case again, with another 90-point haul expected.
Wilder’s promotion warning
“It’s good, innit?” Wilder told the Star of this season’s promotion battle. “I’ll be surprised if anyone breaks into that four but it can happen. There are some good teams in there. Middlesbrough, and Blackburn went on a great run. The West Broms and Norwichs and other teams that have been in the Premier League and are finding it difficult to break into the top four. There’s got to be a lot of credit for those teams in and around us, and what they’ve done so far.
“We’re all immersed in it and looking. ‘What are Leeds doing, what are Sunderland doing, what are Burnley doing?’ Are they looking at our result at half-time against Swansea [when Sheffield United were 1-0 down] and going: ‘That’s alright?’ Am I watching their games thinking something might happen?
“But you have to compliment every club in terms of outcomes, and I believe that will happen all the way through, based on what the analysts say, the results, and how the teams play. And this is why I believe we need to be at our peak heading into the final stretch of the season, because I don’t see anyone else loosening up. We’ve got to be strong, physically, intellectually, tactically and technically, and take the big moments when they come up.”
Good weekend for Leeds
Leeds will have been satisfied to come through perhaps this season’s toughest game on paper without the gap on them being narrowed, particularly given Sheffield United and Plymouth both played clubs in the bottom three at kick-off. Farke’s side actually gained a point on the second-placed Blades, who are one point ahead of Burnley in third.
A draw also extended Leeds’ impressive run, with the Whites now unbeaten in their last 11 league games, dating back to their November defeat at Millwall. It’s a similar period of form to when they caught Leicester City and Ipswich Town last season, but this time they were already near the top.
Things will get a bit more difficult for Leeds in the near future though with their next two opponents, Cardiff City and Coventry, both enjoying an uptick in form. Following that, Farke’s men will then face Watford, Sunderland, Sheffield United and West Brom in consecutive matches.
