Leeds and Burnley promoted as Sheffield United stumble
Leeds United and Burnley sealed automatic promotion to the Premier League on Monday, leaving Sheffield United to settle for a place in the Championship play-offs.
Leeds, who were relegated from the top flight at the end of the 2022/23 season, thrashed Stoke City 6-0 at a jubilant Elland Road. Dutch striker Joel Piroe was the star of the show, scoring four goals—including a hat-trick inside the first 20 minutes—to inspire the Whites to their fourth straight league win.
Junior Firpo and Wilfried Gnonto added to the tally as Daniel Farke’s men produced a statement performance to reach 94 points, guaranteeing a top-two finish.
Promotion was confirmed later in the evening when Sheffield United fell 2-1 to Burnley at Turf Moor, with Clarets captain Josh Brownhill netting both goals to secure an immediate return to the Premier League under Scott Parker. Burnley also moved level with Leeds on 94 points, ensuring both sides are now out of reach of the Blades, who have 86 points with one game to play.
Leeds’ celebrations were loud and emotional after their dominant victory, with Farke praising his side’s resilience under pressure.
“To deliver such an emphatic performance is really amazing and all the credit goes to the boys for the way they have handled the situation and the spirit they have shown in recent weeks,” he told the BBC.
“It’s the fate of a striker that sometimes you have a dry period or a dip in form. Joel had this but he has worked so hard and got himself out of it.”
Burnley, meanwhile, took a more pragmatic route to promotion. Though far less prolific in front of goal than Leeds, their defence has been exceptional, conceding just 15 times all season. Monday’s victory extended their unbeaten run to 31 league games—a club record.
Brownhill summed up the mood at Turf Moor:
“We’ve been written off so many times, people calling us boring. We’ve bored our way to the Premier League.”
Sheffield United, who have won only once in their last five outings, are now locked into third place and must attempt to secure Premier League promotion the hard way—through the play-offs.
The title race between Leeds and Burnley will go down to the final weekend, with both clubs equal on points. However, Leeds hold the advantage in goal difference.
(Source: AFP)
