Huge boost for Leeds United's key promotion rivals as big swing changes automatics landscape

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A key Leeds promotion rival has received a huge boost.

Leeds United’s key rivals Burnley have secured a big boost in their automatic promotion bid with a dramatic points swing changing the automatics landscape.

The Clarets looked set to stay four points behind Leeds when trailing in Sunday’s clash at Norwich City but a comeback 2-1 victory has left Scott Parker’s side just one point adrift.

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Daniel Farke’s second-placed Whites opened the door for the teams below them to close after only taking a point from Saturday lunchtime’s clash at Preston North End which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Leeds would have established a six-point cushion in the Championship’s automatic promotion places with victory at Preston, albeit with third-placed Burnley and fourth-placed Sunderland having a game in hand.

Instead, the draw at Deepdale left Leeds four points ahead of Burnley and five clear of Sunderland ahead of the Clarets and Black Cats both facing tough away games.

Sunderland, though, secured a comeback 3-2 victory at Saturday afternoon’s hosts Swansea City as part of an afternoon on which Sheffield United moved three points clear in top sot with a 2-0 win at home to Plymouth Argyle.

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Those results left Leeds three points behind the Blades and only two points ahead of Sunderland but with Burnley handed the chance to move within one point of Farke’s Whites with victory at Sunday’s hosts Norwich.

Burnley, who boast the division’s best defensive record, suffered an abrupt early setback in the 3pm kick-off at Carrow Road as Jose Cordoba headed home a Marcelino Nunez corner to give the Canaries an early lead.

Norwich took a 1-0 lead into the break but Zian Flemming equalised in the 68th minute and Burnley completed a fine comeback as Josh Brownhill then struck what proved a 76th-minute winner for a 2-1 success.

Having began the weekend with the prospect of falling six points behind Leeds, the big points swing has seen Burnley now close to being just one point behind Farke’s Whites.

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On the back of the draw at the Preston, it means all three of United’s main promotion rivals won, four including Blackburn Rovers who bagged a sixth win on the spin with a 2-0 success at home to Luton Town.

Blackburn also have a game in hand and John Eustace’s side would go level on points with Sunderland and just two points behind Leeds if taking three points from their additional fixture.

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