Leeds United

Image source, Rex Features

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke praised his side's "good defensive behaviour" as their win at Oxford United moved them closer to promotion.

Manor Solomon's goal was the difference at the Kassam Stadium and means that five points from their final three games would guarantee Premier League football.

It could even come as early as Monday if Leeds beat Stoke City at Elland Road and then Sheffield United fail to win at Burnley later in the day.

But it was how the Whites coped with Oxford's aerial threat from crosses and long throws, with Wales centre-half Joe Rodon outstanding, that thrilled Farke as his side kept a 23rd clean sheet in the Championship this season.

"This game was so, so difficult so I'm really happy as we played against a really good Oxford side," the German told BBC Radio Leeds.

"We had lots of control but Gary's [Rowett] sides are always well structured and competitive.

"When you don't score that second goal, you have to show steel and resilience and good defensive behaviour and this is what we've done today in a top-class way.

"These type of wins with a clean sheet are the best type of wins, especially at this stage of the season."

Former Leeds United forward Jermaine Beckford and fan Rocco Dean talk to The Football News Show about the Whites' chances of Premier League survival, should they get promoted from the Championship.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer

Championship leaders Leeds make their first visit to Oxford for 35 years and know they just have to keep things sensible over the remaining four games to keep Sheffield United at arm's length in the race to go up automatically.

With the late kick-off (20:00 BST) at the Kassam Stadium, Daniel Farke's side will know a bit more about what they need to do. Even if the Blades beat Cardiff (17:00 BST), a draw for Leeds will keep them, effectively four points clear, given their superior goal difference.

• Oxford United have lost four of their previous seven English Football League encounters with Leeds United (W2 D1), including each of the past three by an aggregate score of 10-3.

• This will be Leeds United's first EFL trip to Oxford United since a 4-2 win in March 1990 under Howard Wilkinson. Indeed, the three previous fixtures have averaged six goals per game.

• Oxford have lost only one of their past six league games on Good Friday (W2 D3), both scoring (9) and conceding (9) in each of those games.

• Leeds have won just one of their past six league games on Good Friday (D3 L2), drawing 2-2 at Watford last time in 2024.

• Only Leeds teammate Dan James (13 – seven goals, six assists) has more Championship goal involvements in 2025 than Manor Solomon (11 – five goals, six assists), with three involvements in his past two games (one goal, two assists).

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

"Don't under-estimate the point, it's a good point for us" was manager Daniel Farke's verdict on the 1-1 draw at Luton Town less than a fortnight ago which then saw Leeds United drop out of the Championship's automatic promotion spots with six games to play.

Judgement by a section of supporters was far harsher with some wanting him replaced.

Two wins and 12 days later, during which third-placed Sheffield United have failed to register a point from three matches, the uber-composed Farke has been proved correct.

It leaves leaders Leeds, and Burnley, with a five point cushion over the Blades, ahead of the Whites first league visit to Oxford United since promotion to the top flight in March 1990.

Back then Dave Bassett's Sheffield United trailed Howard Wilkinson's league leaders by two points but had a couple of games in hand.

Should Chris Wilder's side beat Cardiff City at Bramall Lane before Leeds kick-off on Good Friday night (20:00 BST)) they will also have closed the gap to their big Yorkshire rivals to a pair of points.

Thirty five years ago there were a dozen games remaining for Leeds to put right any slip ups at the old Manor Ground.

Trailing 2-0 at one stage it looked like the advantage was swinging the way of South Yorkshire until a three-goal salvo inside a handful of minutes turned it back Leeds' way.

A fourth followed and even a late penalty miss which saw Lee Chapman spurn the chance of a hat-trick and incur the wrath of his manager as he was not the designated taker, could not prevent Leeds picking up three crucial points.

At the Kassam Stadium on Friday, welcome as the win would be for Farke, regardless of results prior to kick-off, a draw would still keep Leeds in the box seat for promotion ahead of Sheffield United, whose goal difference is vastly inferior.

Fans will not want to hear about "a good point on the road" but with a home fixture to come on Monday against struggling Stoke City, before their main rivals clash at Turf Moor, then four points over Easter could be enough to see more than chocolate eggs cracking under the pressure.

Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds

Jonathan Buchan
BBC Radio Leeds sport editor

Image source, Rex Features

Championship leaders Leeds United could secure promotion back to the Premier League over the Easter weekend.

Manager Daniel Farke has been speaking today, here are the main points from his pre-match media conference:

• Winger Dan James could be involved for Friday's trip to Oxford United following injury but will be assessed over the next 24 hours. It will be a late decision. He will probably be available for the visit of Stoke City on Monday.

• Midfielder Joe Rothwell will not be available for either of the fixtures this weekend.

• Farke admits to some difficulty caused by a long away trip on Friday night followed by a home game on Monday.

• He says his nomination for manager of the season is a sign of everyone at the club doing well.

• On keeping calm as the manager, he feels it is important to stay calm, but also have the fire at times when needed. However, he says having the fire at both ends of the candle is not helpful as a manager.

• On the mood in the camp after last weekend's results, he says no-one was over the moon, nothing is won yet, they can't afford to lose focus by even one or two per cent.

• Farke says he is delighted for Karl Darlow following some strong performances since replacing Illan Meslier. He never doubted he could rely on the Wales international.

• On Oxford, Farke has been impressed by their recent results, including clean sheets in wins against Sheffield United and Watford at home and away at Sheffield Wednesday.

Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds

"Gary Player or Rory McIlroy wouldn't stand on the 18th tee in the play-off and suddenly start analysing his swing - you trust the process.

"I guess that's what Daniel Farke has done.

"He's trusting his swing and he's going with what he's known all this season that's got them in the position they find themselves in right now."

Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix reflect on the victory that took Leeds United back to the top of the Championship table and the decisions from the dugout that got them there.

The team also take a look at a faltering Sheffield United side and what it means for the promotion battle.

Listen to the full episode and more on the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast.

Leeds United winger Manor Solomon says his spectacular goal during their 2-1 win against Preston North End at the weekend was particularly "special" after having struggled to execute a curling strike from 20 yards since a long-term injury with former club Tottenham Hotspur.

The 25-year-old suffered a meniscus injury to his right knee in 2023 which kept him sidelined for 11 months.

"Before my big injury at Tottenham, I used to score many goals like this for Fulham and Shakhtar as well," Solomon told BBC Radio Leeds.

"But since I came back with the injured leg, I couldn't score this type of goal so I was really happy that it finally came in."

The goal helped put Leeds back top of the Championship but as buoyant as Solomon may feel over regaining his ability to curl in a stunning goal, he still feels there is much work to be done before the season draws to a finish.

"We are really happy but we know we need to stay humble," he said.

"One month ago, we were already seven points clear from the top spot.

"We are not done yet, there are still four games to go and we want to win every single game until we secure our promotion."

Leeds are ahead of Burnley on goal difference and have a five-point cushion in the automatic promotion places over third-placed Sheffield United.

Listen to the full post-match interview and more on the Don't Go To Bed Yet podcast.

Adonis Storr
Fan writer

Image source, Rex Features

Every curling ball lofted into the Leeds box this season has caused unease among the fanbase because goalkeeper Illan Meslier's mistakes from flaps, punches and parries have shredded nerves.

So when Karl Darlow reached up into the spring sunshine and caught a couple of crosses on his home league debut on Saturday lunchtime, those catches were celebrated like goals.

For Leeds' new number one, the game couldn't have gone much better.

The Wales international's name was sung, he could not be blamed for Kaine Kesler-Hayden's thunderous strike for Preston and Darlow's team mates rallied around him after his one error.

The goalkeeper's performances in the past two games have been close to flawless and there is a clear boost to the mood of the side. The defenders, who had been visibly affected by former preferred-starter Meslier's form, look far more comfortable now.

In the hundreds of Championship games he has managed, Daniel Farke had never previously changed his starting goalkeeper. Maybe this is why it took so long to make that decision, but it clearly should have been made far earlier.

Five years ago both Meslier and Darlow were getting peppered in the Premier League. But the then Newcastle keeper Darlow outperformed his now team-mate, during the first half of the season with his 71.76 'save percentage' being the best in the English top division among goalkeepers who had faced over 200 shots.

In the metric that measures a goalkeeper's performance against expected goals (post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed), over his career, Darlow has conceded 30 fewer goals than expected against Meslier's record.

With Darlow contracted until summer 2026, it is surely time to move on from Meslier and I expect Leeds will look to replace him whatever happens this season.

In addition to looking like a significant upgrade, it feels like he has replaced Meslier just in time to secure Leeds promotion.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke was pleased with the "balance" his team showed in their play in the 2-1 win over Preston.

The victory sent Leeds back to the top of the table with four games to go.

"It feels pretty good after an exhausting week with three difficult games. It was a priceless three points for us," he told BBC Radio Leeds:

"It was a really good performance and we could have made life easier by taking a few of our chances, it must have been one of our highest expected goals of the season. We should have scored six or seven.

"If you don't score the third goal and miss this crazy amount of chances then you always need to stay switched on because Preston played with freedom. It was crucial that we returned to our best behaviour against the ball.

"I didn't know the scoreline at Plymouth but you sense the reaction of the supporters. I wanted to make sure that we stayed focused and not thinking about what happened on other pitches.

"I like the balance because we played with fire in the heart but cool in the head."

This fixture goes back to the 1924-25 season when Leeds won both matches in the old First Division, scoring four goals in each game.

Preston are looking for a first league victory at Elland Road since 2010 when they came from 4-2 down at half-time to win 6-4.

• Leeds have lost just one of their past seven league games against Preston, (W3 D3), a 2-1 defeat at Deepdale in December 2023.

• Preston have won just one of their past 12 away league games against Leeds since 1963 (D4 L7).

• Leeds have scored 80 goals in the Championship this season, just one short of their competition record (since 2004-05) of 81 in 2010-11 and 2023-24. They last scored more than 81 in a league campaign in 1969-70 (84).

• Preston have won just one of their past 10 league matches (D6 L3), beating Portsmouth 2-1 in March. The Lilywhites have lost three of their past four away games in the Championship (D1).

• Leeds' Dan James has 12 league goals this season, one below his record in a single campaign of 13 last season. James could score in three successive league appearances for the third time in his career – the last time he achieved this (January 2024), the third game was against Preston at Elland Road.

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

Image source, Rex Features

It is now 77 consecutive Championship games in which Leeds United have scored first and not lost.

Dan James' second-minute winner at the Riverside was enough to beat Middlesbrough and keep United's impressive record intact whilst sending them back to the top of the Championship.

Manager Daniel Farke insisted it was vital to go in front after falling behind in recent away games:

"We were on it today and I think it was of course important to go into the lead," he said. "I think it's a while since went in the lead in an away game. Its definitively a decisive factor."

By nine goals they now lead their nearest rivals Burnley, who share the top two berths with Leeds on 85 points. But United should be four goals further ahead.

Farke's side had two goals incorrectly ruled out for offside by each of the assistant referees in a tight contest on Teesside.

Remarkably, one of the officials has now ruled out three legitimate goals for Leeds this season alone; Willy Gnonto's at Coventry City, Joel Piroe's at home to Millwall and now Ao Tanaka's at Middlesbrough.

Afterwards Farke told BBC Radio Leeds: "If they would be difficult to see I could perhaps live with this coincidence.

"But if its always two, three or four yards anyhow then why do we keep sending this assistant referee to games with Leeds United?

"I don't say anything but ... at some point you should protect him at least and send him to a different game."

In all those matches, despite being denied the goals United have come away with all the spoils but that is not Farke's point.

"I'm struggling for words because we are playing here for such a big reward because we are going up to the Premier League and millions of pounds and then we allow this," he said.

"Not the referees, because I'm always on the side of the referees, but this level of assistant performances I'm struggling with this to be honest.

"I could make my life easier by saying 'yeah, we have won the game and everything is fine' as we've won the game against Coventry, we've won the game against Millwall, but when you always have to fight against this adversity then it's difficult."

Add striker Patrick Bamford to that list of Leeds players robbed of a perfectly good goal, on his 200th appearance for the club, then factor in the denial of a confidence boost for the player, the enjoyment for the fans and the reduction of stress levels for all connected with the club; then maybe everyone can appreciate why it always appears Leeds have to overcome more than most.

Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds

Image source, Rex Features

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke was proud of how his team 'dug in' to produce the victory that sent them back to the top of the Championship.

Dan James' early goal was enough to beat Middlesbrough and allowed the Whites to leapfrog Burnley, who drew at Derby County and Sheffield United, who lost at home to Millwall.

It was only a second win in seven games for Leeds and ended a run of three consecutive draws, which had previously cost them top spot.

"I'm proud of my boys," said the German. "It was a tough game, overall an excellent advert for the Championship.

"Both sides had periods, but in the end we found a way to win this game and it was crucial today to return to our clean sheet behaviour.

"We had to dig in, had to deal with a couple of injuries and had one day less in between games, and Middlesbrough were in red-hot form.

"We had to dig in and show steel and togetherness and spirit to bring this over the line in a hard-fought game and a well-deserved win."

How does a promoted team stay in the Premier League?

Is it about style? Or does over-spending become a tempting proposition in a bid to stay out of the bottom of three?

Is it all about unearthing transfer "jewels"?

Take a look at a clip below or listen to the Monday Night Club debate in full here