Leeds appear like a lifeless cert to return to the Premier League, writes JASON MELLOR – as Daniel Farke’s facet take one other step in the direction of promotion after draw with gutsy West Brom

Daniel Farke was unfamiliar with the cautionary story of Devon Loch however it might take a choke of equally disastrous proportions to disclaim Leeds United a spot again on the prime desk of English soccer.

The unlucky thoroughbred’s astonishing collapse and supreme defeat with Grand Nationwide victory at its mercy has turn into a metaphor for sporting collapse over the a long time.

The sort of which befell the USA’ Ryder Cup group once they have been on the mistaken facet of the Miracle of Medinah 13 years in the past. Or Newcastle’s gorgeous implosion to permit Manchester United to bridge a 12-point hole to win the Premier League in 1996. Briefly, discovering a approach to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Such has been their excellent kind – they continue to be unbeaten within the league for greater than 4 months spanning 17 video games – having to accept a degree after being pegged again by an admirable West Brom facet felt one thing akin to a defeat as they have been denied a sixth consecutive league victory.

Nevertheless, with 11 video games remaining they moved eight factors forward of Burnley in third, and the Championship leaders do not look prepared to affix the undesirable membership spawned by Devon Loch’s exploits nearly 70 years in the past, and look like a dead-cert to finish a two-year prime flight exile.

Spurred on by the bitter reminiscence of final season when a 90-point haul was solely adequate to safe third as they fell foul of a gut-wrenching Wembley no-show within the play-off closing defeat to Southampton, Leeds are effectively on the best way to securing promotion with none undesirable Spring additional time.

Farke is closing in on the Championship title for a 3rd time after two earlier successes with Norwich, and the 48-year-old mentioned: ‘Possibly we began to get pleasure from ourselves just a little an excessive amount of after we scored first and did not play with the knife between our tooth for a spell.

‘However if you cannot win the sport then you need to be sure to do not lose it. We’re one level nearer to our purpose. We’re on 76 and we all know we can’t make it into the highest two with that so there is not any cause for complacency.’

The German’s facet have made a behavior of hitting the entrance early at Elland Highway this season, and the sample continued as they took a ninth-minute lead. 

Dan James swung over a cross from the left which Junior Firpo, a full-back getting additional ahead than many attackers handle at this stage, guided the ball into the online with a glancing header after darting in between defender Torbjorn Heggem and goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith to attain for the third time this season.

Ao Tanaka ought to have doubled the benefit however the Japan midfielder inexplicably volleyed recent air when it regarded simpler to attain from 5 yards out as Albion froze at a nook.

Since returning for a second stint in cost on the Hawthorns in January, Tony Mowbray is doing a tidy job of coaxing his gamers to cast-off the tactical straight-jacket of Carlos Corberan’s stultifying risk-averse reign, an more and more stalemate-ridden spell the place the one factor they could not draw was any consolation from the Spaniard’s safety-first method.

The Baggies deservedly levelled six minutes earlier than the interval, Jayden Bogle bullied out of place on the far put up to permit defender Darnell Furlong to direct a deftly-judged looping header over a statuesque Illan Meslier from a John Swift free-kick because the midfielder partially made up for lacking an early gift-wrapped likelihood to interrupt the impasse from inside the world.

The second-half remained with no purpose, regardless of one of the best efforts of either side. On a day for marauding full-backs, Furnell despatched a diving header narrowly over from Mikey Johnston’s centre, earlier than on the different finish, a slaloming run from Mateo Joseph culminated within the substitute’s shot clipping the bar from a slim angle.

Joe Rodon put within the onerous yards with a late lung-bursting effort to thwart Tom Fellows’ bid to run half the size of the pitch to win it in added time because the spoils have been shared.

Albion stay within the play-off locations after a gutsy show noticed them turn into the primary facet since Blackburn on New Yr’s Day to go away Elland Highway with a degree. 

Boss Mowbray mentioned: ‘We did very effectively in opposition to a Leeds facet which can be going to complete within the prime two.

‘We did not need to be the group that got here and sat behind the ball for 90 minutes. The power and energy was there and the will to not get overwhelmed, it was a satisfying efficiency.’