Leeds United return to Premier League after 16-year absence

Written By James Westwood

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Leeds United’s return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence has been confirmed with two fixtures of the 2019-20 season left to spare.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men beat Barnsley 1-0 at Elland Road on Thursday to move to within just a single point of promotion, with Michael Sollbauer’s first-half effort proving to be the difference between the two sides.

The result also ensured that the Whites would be assured of a place in the top-flight if West Brom were to drop points away at Huddersfield on Friday, and sure enough, the prayers of supporters across Yorkshire were answered.

The Baggies were beaten 2-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium, with Chris Willock opening the scoring for the hosts before Dara O’Shea hit an equaliser just before half-time.

West Brom toiled to find a winner in the second period, but it was the Terriers who struck late on through Arsenal loanee Emile Smith Rowe, meaning Leeds will officially compete in the Premier League for the first time since 2003-04 next season.

After Leeds latest victory Bielsa insisted he would not be tuning in to watch West Brom or Brentford, who could have also handed his side promotion if they failed to beat Stoke on Saturday.

Asked if he would follow their Championship rivals’ games, Bielsa said: “No, we always think that what we are able to get depends on us. We are thinking of the next match.

“Until the situation is mathematically resolved, we cannot talk about promotion.”

The Argentine head coach can now rest safely in the knowledge that Leeds are guaranteed to finish at least second in the table, with fixtures against Derby and Charlton set to bring their campaign to a close over the next week.

The Whites will also pick up the Championship trophy if they win just one of their remaining games before preparations begin for their return to English football’s top tier.

Bielsa’s side finished third in the standings last term before losing their play-off semi-final against Derby County, and their latest promotion bid looked like it might go off the rails in similar fashion after a 2-0 defeat away at Cardiff in their first game back following last month’s restart.

However, Leeds bounced back to win five of their next six outings, including an impressive 5-0 victory over Stoke, taking their tally of victories for the season to 26, more than any other side in the division.