‘United are back, United are back’ chorused a jubilant Elland Road as Leeds all but secured their place at English football’s top table.
For a club who have spent just four seasons in the Premier League during the past 22 years, that is not something to be sniffed at.
A dominant victory over relegated Burnley moved Daniel Farke’s side to 43 points, above Newcastle and nine points clear of Tottenham, albeit having played a game more.
No side has gone down with that many points in the Premier League era, yet Farke said: ‘We’ll celebrate once it’s mathematically done.
‘But I don’t want to stop on 43 points because we’re in such good shape so let’s keep going. I’m so proud of my players. Our mentality, work ethic and unity is second to none. Staying up would be a massive achievement.’
Anton Stach set Leeds on their way with a stunning long-range opener early on before second-half goals from Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin confirmed a handsome win.
Leeds players celebrate with the scorer of their first goal, Anton Stach, at Elland Road
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was once again on the scoresheet for Daniel Farke’s side
Leeds have thrown plenty of punches and bloodied a few noses along the way this season. A club who continue to intrigue are starting to feel relevant again.
They are indeed back — back on the Premier League map where they will hope to gradually re-establish themselves in the coming seasons. These could be exciting times for Leeds, with the redevelopment of Elland Road set to increase capacity from 37,645 to 53,000.
Nevertheless, the champagne will remain on ice until their safety is confirmed, with trips to Tottenham and West Ham still to come. Leeds fell short against Chelsea in last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final and there was no mistaking the disappointment from their legions of supporters.
Yet when the season kicked off, Farke had one goal for his newly promoted side: Premier League survival.
The Yorkshire giants are stirring under Farke’s quietly impressive guidance and they have claimed some historic wins this season. Such as beating arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in a league game for the first time in 45 years and reaching a first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1987.
Noah Okafor continued his red hot form with another goal, his seventh in the Premier League
Loum Tchaouna (centre) scored a consolation goal for managerless and relegated Burnley
Victory over a Burnley side who parted company with manager Scott Parker on Thursday was not always pretty. There were bookings aplenty but the result was never in doubt, with Leeds winning for the third time in their last four Premier League games.
In the eighth minute, the imposing Stach collected possession from defender Jaka Bijol around 30 yards from goal and hit a low, left-foot shot which arrowed into the bottom corner of Martin Dubravka’s net.
It was his fifth goal since joining Leeds last summer and Farke said: ‘Anton’s a bit weird and a crazy guy and he can be sleepy and cheeky, but he delivers quality performances.
‘He looks like a mixture of Peter Crouch and I don’t know who, but he is bloody effective!’
Leeds continued to threaten Burnley — playing under interim head coach Mike Jackson — and half-chances proliferated in front of the visitors’ goal.
Calvert-Lewin and Okafor gave Burnley’s backline plenty to think about but it was not until seven minutes after the break that Leeds scored a second.
And what a delightful goal it was, with England striker Calvert-Lewin running hard inside the right channel before outfoxing a number of visiting defenders with a cute backheel which found Jayden Bogle advancing forward in space.
The wing-back clipped a perfect cross to the far post where Okafor — the two-goal hero of Leeds’ recent win at Old Trafford — was on hand to fire home in clinical fashion.
The hosts had their third when Japan midfielder Ao Tanaka fired goalwards before seeing his effort repelled by Dubravka. Who had the desire and strength to be first to the rebound and fire home? It was Calvert-Lewin, a player reborn this season under Farke.
Burnley pulled a goal back through Loum Tchaouna’s well-taken shot past Karl Darlow, but it did little to dampen the feelgood factor around the ground.
Nor could it disguise Burnley’s shortcomings as they prepare for life in the Championship.
Interim boss Jackson said: ‘What’s gone wrong this season? I don’t think it is a discussion for now. Everyone looks to blame rather than take responsibility. It is a collective, whatever happens at the end of the season will be looked at.’
Leeds, meanwhile, can start planning for another top-flight campaign and there have been too few of those at Elland Road in the past two decades.
Farke added: ‘Let’s finish this step towards securing safety and then we can speak about the future.’
