Roses triumph shows why Leeds United are the real deal in automatic promotion stakes - final word on win at Blackburn Rovers

Those qualities served Leeds United rather well as they chalked off this latest victory amid an increasingly compelling four-into-two-won’t-go joust for automatic promotion, where the slightest blink carries the danger of being magnified.

The previous weekend, all the major protagonists won in the shape of Leeds, Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton.

In the latest round of action, it looked like being plus ca change, only for the significant event to arrive in the shape of Saints conceding a costly equaliser in the sixth minute of added-on time at Watford. The others stayed reassuringly on-message.

Reassuring was the word to describe Leeds at Ewood Park. The skill came by way of a delicious killer second goal in the final quarter from Crysencio Summerville, aided by some delightful play in the build-up from Archie Gray.

It added onto a handsomely-executed finish in the first half from Dan James, who scored for the third successive game.

His tally of seven goals this term is his career-best league total in a season and 2023-24 has not even reached its half-way point. Summerville is up to nine.

In between both goals and before, the pictures that Leeds created weren’t as artful as they can be.

But with James and Summerville in tandem, not to mention the prowling Joel Piroe, you always have a chance.Georginio Rutter can break codes too, even if his finishing remains a work in progress.

He missed a 'gimmie' in the first half, but then did what he usually does. Shrug it off quickly and he soon added another assist to his burgeoning list after winning the ball off James Hill and teeing up James.

In the promotion stakes, it represents a serious quartet. Even when they are not at their best, there is a threat somewhere. That's without even mentioning Patrick Bamford or Wilfried Gnonto.

Good sides don’t have to be at their best to win, especially at this stage of proceedings amid a December bottleneck. Leeds are a good side and did just that.

It was further back where Daniel Farke found most to please him.

After a chaotic afternoon seven days earlier against Middlesbrough, which at times resembled a basketball match with some of Leeds's defending leaving a fair bit to be desired, their labour and application was more convincing.

This time, the excellent Joe Rodon was not on his own against another opponent who were courageous in possession like Boro and asked questions with their interplay, movement and rotations.

Leeds mustered not only a clean sheet, but kept Rovers to just two shots on target, with the division’s top-scorer and November’s Championship player-of-the-month and current top-scorer Sammie Szmodics policed proficiently.

It is the sort of thing that Farke, who won the division’s managerial gong last month, likes.

He admitted as much, stating: “I am especially pleased we are allowed to travel back with a clean sheet against a really good and dangerous side, we did not allow them to have much.”

The journey to and from Blackburn in the wind and rain will have had its privations for the 7,000 Leeds supporters who colonised the Darwen End, but they, like Farke, went home happy.

Promotion seasons are forged on wins in all weathers. On a dank, rain-sodden day in East Lancashire, you roll up your sleeves and wait for your moment.

This was textbook from Leeds. No riotous Yuletide fixture like in 2018 between these two Roses combatants, when United memorably scored two stoppage-time goals to win it after going behind, but satisfying all the same.

A week earlier, Rovers received an apology following a wrongly-awarded goal for Sheffield Wednesday in their 3-1 reverse at Hillsborough.

Here, their supporters were also seething after Bobby Madley was unmoved by three penalty shouts during the game.

The first came when Harry Leonard went over after nipping in front of Pascal Struijk. There were also cries early in the second half from the Blackburn End when United’s captain slid in to try and block Andrew Moran’s low cross and the ball hit his arm.

Substitute Jake Garrett also went down late on under pressure from Ethan Ampadu.

In fairness, it wasn’t the story of the game and Rovers chief Jon-Dahl Tomasson knew the score and did not make an issue with all three.For all of Rovers' derring-do, Illan Meslier's only real work came late on, when he tipped over a header from substitute Arnor Sigurdsson. He was protected well.

For Leeds, the one downer was the sight of Sam Byram coming off with a hamstring issue early in the second half.

The good sides at the top also have the best squads. Expect Leeds to cope.

Blackburn Rovers: Wahlstedt; Hill (Ennis 80), Carter, S Wharton, Pickering; Tronstad, A Wharton (Garrett 80); Moran (Markanday 84), Szmodics, Brittain; Leonard (Sigurdsson 45). Unused substitutes: Hilton, Gamble, Atcheson, Telalovic, Bloxham.

Leeds United: Meslier; Gray, Rodon, Struijk, Byram (Spence 70); Ampadu, Kamara; James (Gnonto 69), Rutter (Joseph 89), Summerville (Anthony 84); Piroe (Greuv 89). Unused substitutes: Darlow, Cooper, Gelhardt.

Referee: R Madley (West Yorkshire).