Leeds Ease Anxiety, but Pressure on Others Mounts after Crucial Win

Leeds United moves closer to Premier League survival with a crucial 3-1 victory over Burnley, easing anxiety but increasing pressure on other teams.

Leeds Secure Crucial Victory over Burnley The English forward, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, scored the third goal for Leeds against already-relegated Burnley, prompting home fans to chant 'we are staying up' as Leeds closed in on another season of top-flight football. Their 3-1 victory moves the Whites up to 14th in the table and almost certainly guarantees Premier League football in West Yorkshire next season. After the game, defender Ethan Ampadu said Leeds had put themselves in a 'strong position' before the final three games of the season. 'I said before the game that we've not managed to beat Burnley and we wanted a bit of revenge and to get to 43 points,' Ampadu stated. 'We like to think we've put ourselves in a strong position with three games left. We wanted to give [our fans] a bank holiday weekend to enjoy. We had the disappointment last weekend. Hopefully, three more good results.' ## Leeds' Victory Promises a Joyful Long Weekend for Supporters It promises to be a joyful long weekend for Leeds supporters - but how long must they wait before safety is mathematically confirmed? Officially, there is still work for Leeds to do to seal their Premier League status for another season. After dispatching Burnley with ease on Friday, the Whites are nine points and four places above 18th-placed Tottenham, who occupy the third and final relegation spot. It is worth pointing out that four of the teams directly below Leeds - Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Spurs - all have a game in hand on Daniel Farke's side. ## Leeds' Road to Redemption Began with a Tactical Switch If Leeds are able to retain their top-flight status, the majority of supporters are likely point to wins against relegation rivals Wolves, Burnley and West Ham as the defining moments of the season. But Farke is almost certain to share a different view. The 49-year-old is more likely to point to a 3-2 defeat by Manchester City in late November as the moment his side's fortunes changed - and the numbers back it up. After goals from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol put City 2-0 up inside 25 minutes, Leeds were left fearing the worst. That was until Farke made an almighty roll of the dice, summoning Calvert-Lewin and defender Jaka Bijol from the bench to switch from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2. It was a tactical switch that allowed Leeds an extra man in midfield and, crucially, offered extra support to summer signing Calvert-Lewin in attack. ## Leeds' Victory over Burnley Ends a Run of Success Since then, Leeds have lost only four out of a possible 19 league games - the ninth-best record in the division. Consequently, Farke is on course to lead a team to Premier League survival for the first team in his career after failing to do so during his time in charge of Norwich. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played. ## Other Teams Still in the Relegation Picture The Whites' victory over Burnley meant Newcastle slipped down to 15th, having themselves gone on a run of four successive losses. The Magpies still have to play Nottingham Forest and West Ham, too, but even a single point from their remaining games could well be enough. After the Hammers and Tottenham both played - and won - at the same time last Saturday, the three sides most under threat from relegation are all in action on different days across the bank holiday weekend: - Brentford v West Ham (Saturday, 15:00 BST) - Aston Villa v Tottenham (Sunday, 19:00 BST) - Chelsea v Nottingham Forest (Monday, 15:00 BST) Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi urged his players to 'silence the voice inside of us' during an impassioned four-minute monologue at the start of his pre-match news conference on Friday.