Leeds sink Sheffield Wednesday to return to Championship summit
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When the dust settles on this most compelling of Championship seasons, these may well turn out to be the days and the moments which could make all the difference for Leeds. You can feel the trepidation and tension every time you set foot inside Elland Road, given how the Whites compiled 90 points last year and still failed to secure promotion to the Premier League. The desperation to avoid something similar again this season is almost palpable and every time there is even the briefest of missteps, it is not difficult for Leeds supporters to fear the worst.
![[Ao Tanaka (right) shows his delight after scoring Leeds’ third.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/336aba98e87304d4f82fb496f0f04eef7610fa23/0_431_5430_3258/master/5430.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Which makes this a potentially seismic moment in their season. With two minutes to go here, a thoroughly entertaining Yorkshire derby was firmly in the balance. Leeds had taken an early lead with Manor Solomon’s strike but unlike most teams that come to Elland Road, Sheffield Wednesday did not sit back at any stage. It is a sign of how far Danny Röhl’s side have come that they had their hosts worried on multiple occasions.
It could have gone either way. But in the end, the quality of Daniel Farke’s team – and in particular his bench – arguably proved decisive. Leeds are blessed with undoubtedly the Championship’s best squad and the substitute Largie Ramazani’s strike with two minutes to go settled the nerves, before Ao Tanaka’s smart finish in stoppage time made it three to send them back to the Championship summit.
There will be twists and turns to come: this is the Championship, after all. But on a weekend when Burnley – who Leeds visit in a week’s time – and Sunderland both dropped points against one another, it felt like an afternoon where Farke’s men had to take advantage and show they are the worthy frontrunners in this four-horse race for automatic promotion. They duly delivered.
