Leeds United prove promotion credentials in derby win over Huddersfield Town

A near-perfect Saturday for Leeds saw them comprehensively defeat derby rivals Huddersfield Town 2-0 at Elland Road in front of a season’s best crowd of 36,514 – the biggest attendance in the second tier so far in 2019-20.

It was a day which saw third-placed Fulham – who Leeds host on March 18 – drop points in a 1-1 draw at Bristol City and previous leaders West Brom draw at Swansea, with the Whites moving to the Championship summit with a seven-point lead over Fulham.

Goals from Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford saw Leeds record their fifth successive league win and clean sheet, something they last achieved in December 2009, with Bielsa’s side having now not conceded a goal in almost eight-and-a-half hours.

In the process, Leeds secured a third consecutive triumph over Yorkshire opponents after previous victories over Hull City and Middlesbrough.

Bielsa, who confirmed that he expects key midfielder Kalvin Phillips to be back in contention for next Sunday’s game at Cardiff City after he missed the West Yorkshire derby with a knee injury, said: “We created some good chances and I think we have shown we have a good mentality. We have worked hard to get back to the top of the division and it’s pleasing to have such a good run of results at this stage of the season and that can only help our confidence. The most important thing is what happens when the competition starts to get to the finish line.

“A few months ago, we had 11 points of difference and we lost this. What we have to do is wait until the end to see what happens, but, of course, we value this reality.

“We have 27 points left. We don’t know how many points we are going to need, but we have nine matches, options, to get the points we need.

“Of course, there is anxiety until we get what we are looking for, but this is for every team.”

Seeking a third successive win at Elland Road for the first time since September 1930, Huddersfield were second best on the day, with manager Danny Cowley admitting that it was a learning experience for his young side, who welcome Wigan in a key relegation ‘six-pointer’ on Saturday.

Cowley, who praised Leeds for an ‘outstanding’ performance, commented: “It is never nice to lose against your local rivals, but sometimes you have to be real.

“This Leeds team have been together two years now and they have a world-class manager and a squad geared up to go to the Premier League.

“We will stick together and the group are heading in the right direction.

“We will dust ourselves down, feel the pain and try and take the learning from it.”

Meanwhile, Leeds have confirmed that their academy players and women’s squad will temporarily train away from Thorp Arch in the club’s latest response to the coronavirus.

Match report: Page 3