Sheffield United are going up – dramatic, controversial Leeds United and Aston Villa draw confirms Premier League football for Blades
The Blades were all but up after a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday but it was still mathematically possible, if unlikely, that Leeds United could catch them.
Chris Wilder’s side were six points ahead with a vastly superior goal difference, while Leeds had two games remaining.
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Hide AdHowever, in a controversial encounter at Elland Road, Aston Villa held Marcelo Bielsa’s men to a draw which rubber-stamped promotion for Sheffield United.
It looked as though Leeds were going to make the Blades wait another week for confirmation, when they took the lead in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Mateusz Klich slotted in when it looked as though the game had paused for Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia to receive treatment.
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Hide AdEarlier in the game, Villa had stopped play to allow the Leeds physio to come on and that was the reason for Villa’s fury.
A melee ensued and Patrick Bamford appeared to be hit by Anwar El Ghazi who then sent off.
Then, under orders from Bielsa, when everything had calmed down, Leeds allowed Villa to run up the pitch and score, almost unopposed – Pontus Jansson made an attempt to stop them.
The game died down after that and the 1-1 draw was greeted with cheers in Sheffield.