Leeds United are champions of the Championship, winning the title less than 24 hours after they were promoted back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence due to West Brom’s shock defeat on Friday.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side were crowned champions as third-place Brentford lost at Stoke City on Saturday, meaning that Brentford could no longer catch them in first place and there’s now an almighty scrap for the final automatic promotion spot.
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Heading into the final round of games of the Championship season on Wednesday, West Bromwich Albion sit in second place on 82 points and Brentford are in third on 81 points. West Brom have QPR at home, while Brentford host Barnsley.
If West Brom beat QPR at home, they will return to the Premier League but Slaven Bilic’s side have failed to win any of their last three games, so this will be nervy and they will not want to slip into the playoffs on the final day after being in the top two for most of this season.
As for Leeds and Bielsa, their return to the top-flight has been celebrated wildly by their fans with the veteran Argentine coach lauded as ‘God’ for delivering their much-awaited return to the Premier League.
Fans gathered outside Bielsa’s home in Yorkshire and he went out to greet them on Saturday as Leeds United are champions.
Hero #lufc pic.twitter.com/PYZQFZEwpq
— Gareth Boyes (@Gareth_Boyes) July 17, 2020
While the Leeds players gave Bielsa this welcome at the training ground.
Leeds players gave Marcelo Bielsa a hero's welcome to training today 😂👏
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 18, 2020
(via luke_ayling2/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/BUuiekni8E
And here is some reaction from their players after clinching promotion due to West Brom’s shock defeat at Huddersfield.
😍 THE MOMENT! pic.twitter.com/L4T33JxsQs
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 18, 2020
🍾🍾🍾 What. A. Team. pic.twitter.com/jCfRITzQTz
— Leeds United (@LUFC) July 18, 2020
Leeds were relegated during the 2003-04 season and amid severe financial mismanagement they dropped down to the third tier and have come agonizingly close in the playoffs over the last few seasons.
Bielsa’s first season in 2018-19 saw them lose to Derby County in the playoffs amid ‘spy-gate’ but in his second season in charge the unorthodox coach has swept all before him as Leeds were in the top two for most of the season and never really looked like dropping out of the automatic promotion spots since the Championship restart.
Leeds and Bielsa in the Premier League will be extremely fun to watch next season.
Elland Road as Leeds United are celebrating promotion. Spot the squad at the window celebrating with fans outside. #LUFC #CapitalReports pic.twitter.com/q3JAv7zu9T
— Capital Yorks News (@CapitalYORKNews) July 17, 2020