Leeds revived their hopes of securing automatic promotion to the Premier League with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Middlesbrough, thanks to a brace from Crysencio Summerville.
Having endured a winless streak in their previous three Championship matches, Daniel Farke’s men were at risk of jeopardizing their chances of an immediate return to the top-flight.
The win propelled Leeds into second place, one point ahead of Ipswich, in the race for automatic promotion. However, Ipswich, in third place, still have three games remaining compared to Leeds’ two.
The defeat confirmed that Middlesbrough’s hopes of promotion via the playoffs were mathematically over.
Despite a shaky start that saw Isaiah Jones give Middlesbrough an early lead, Leeds turned the game around in a pulsating first half.
Summerville equalized from the penalty spot before Patrick Bamford silenced the home crowd with a goal on his return to the Riverside Stadium.
Emmanuel Latte Lath’s powerful strike from outside the box brought Middlesbrough back level.
Controversy ensued just before halftime when Wilfried Gnonto scored for Leeds, despite being in an offside position. As VAR is not available in the Championship, the goal stood.
Summerville’s magnificent curling effort, his 20th goal of the season, extended Leeds’ lead to two goals.
Middlesbrough set up a frantic finish with Latte Lath’s looping header, but Leeds managed to hold on for the crucial victory.
“As defenders we’d like to make it a bit easier, but at this stage it’s just a massive win,” said Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu.
“Still two massive games to go. For us there is a lot of hard work to go.”
Leeds’ triumph implies that even if league leaders Leicester secure a victory against fourth-placed Southampton on Tuesday, it will not mathematically guarantee promotion for the Foxes.
