Leeds United rallied late to beat Leicester City 3-1 and cut the Foxes’ lead at the top of the Championship table to six points on Friday night.
Second-half goals from substitutes Connor Roberts and Dan James either side of Archie Gray’s strike sealed a remarkable come-from-behind victory to leave the Foxes shell-shocked.
Leicester City drew first blood through Wout Faes’s 15th-minute header. The goal sent shivers down Elland Road’s collective spine, with the home crowd fearing the worst.
Indeed, with just 10 minutes of regulation time to play, the Foxes looked on course for a win that would have seen them extend their lead at the top of the table to 12 points.
Then Roberts intervened, firing home the equaliser and sending the home crowd into ruptures.
It got better three minutes later as Gray’s deflected strike found the back of the net.
Any hopes Leicester City had of forcing a share of the spoils vanished when another substitute, Dan James converted an injury-time free-kick.
Ecstasy for Leeds United, despair for Leicester City.
Over to rivals
Pressure is now firmly on promotion rivals Southampton and Ipswich Town to respond on Saturday and stay on the top two’s coattails.
Southampton will be looking to bounce back from the defeat by Hull City when the welcome struggling Millwall. The Saints are fancied to prevail against a opponents on a four-match losing streak and in real danger of being dragged into the relegation scrap.
Ipswich Town, who snatched a dramatic injury-time winner to edge a seven-goal thriller against basement side Rotherham last time out, host a Birmingham City looking to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three.
| Date & Time | Match | Home Odds | Draw Odds | Away Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Feb 15:00 |
Ipswich Town vs Birmingham City | 8/15 | 7/2 | 9/2 |
| 24 Feb 15:00 |
Southampton vs Millwall | 2/5 | 19/5 | 13/2 |
Dare to dream
It was Leeds United’s ninth win on the bounce, condemning Leicester City to a second successive defeat.
In three second-half minutes the Whites reduced a12-point deficit to six. It is impossible to exaggerate the psychological significance of winning this top-of-the-table six-pointer.
| # | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester City | 34 | 25 | 3 | 6 | 70 | 29 | 41 | 78 |
| 2 | Leeds United | 34 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 64 | 27 | 37 | 72 |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 33 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 65 | 44 | 21 | 69 |
| 4 | Southampton | 33 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 64 | 40 | 24 | 67 |
The win, in the process doing the double over Leicester City, imbues Leeds United with confidence and belief that they can chase down the leaders and challenge them for promotion as champions.
Leeds United, how do I love thee!
