Leeds fc return to EPL after 16 years

Leeds United have ended their 16-year wait for Premier League football after West Brom failed to beat Huddersfield on Friday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who edged past Barnsley 1-0 on Thursday, have sealed promotion from the Championship with two games to spare, after the Baggies failed to keep the pressure up at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Leeds have enjoyed an impressive campaign after bouncing back from last season’s play-off heartache to clinch promotion, returning to the top flight for the first time since 2004. In that time there have been several near misses, while they also spent three years in League One between 2007 and 2010.

Leeds are yet to clinch the Championship title, although a failure for Brentford to win at Stoke on Saturday will do that. If the Bees are victorious, then a point at Derby in Leeds’ game on Sunday.

Leeds looked nailed on for promotion in early March. A fifth straight win in a row against Huddersfield saw them move seven points clear of Fulham in third with just nine games to go.

But then the coronavirus crisis put football on hold indefinitely, and the club were left to wonder whether or not there would be a restart.

Eventually, more than three months later, football did return – but Leeds fell to defeat at Cardiff in their first game back. Five wins from six since, however, ensured that they got the job done. Leeds haven’t been out of the top five all season, they have only ended seven game weeks outside of the top two, and have occupied an automatic-promotion spot since mid-November.