This is how many points Leeds United need for automatic promotion after Sheffield Utd collapse

Leeds United reclaimed their spot at the top of the Championship with a 2-1 win against Preston on Saturday and results elsewhere provided a major boost to their promotion chances.

Goals from Manor Solomon and Jayden Bogle handed Leeds a mammoth three points in their Saturday lunchtime kick-off, with all three goals scored inside a busy opening 13 minutes. Daniel Farke’s side should have been far more comfortable but for a number of missed chances, with Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson among those guilty of wastefulness.

But Leeds retained control over Preston for virtually the entire second half and despite some late nerves, were deserving of victory. And the feeling of relief inside Elland Road was mixed with joy as news filtered up from Home Park that Sheffield United had lost to rock-bottom Plymouth Argyle.

The Blades were 1-0 up with just 10 minutes left but goals from Ryan Hardie and Muhamed Tijani consigned them to a third straight defeat, with manager Chris Wilder involved in a mass confrontation after full-time. Sheffield United were top of the Championship just over a week ago but now face a huge uphill battle, with five points separating them from both Leeds and second-placed Burnley.

There are now just four games of the regular season remaining and so a five-point gap is huge, particularly given Sheffield United are due at Turf Moor on Easter Monday. Few believe promotion is wrapped up, with the Blades’ collapse an example of how quickly things can unravel, but fans are now starting to work out when and how it could be confirmed.

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Sheffield United’s trip to Burnley will play a major part in the automatic promotion race, with at least one guaranteed to drop points at a time when the margin for error is so slim. And that result at Turf Moor will go some way to deciding how many points Leeds need for promotion to be secure.

How many points do Leeds United need and when could they be promoted?

Should Sheffield United condemn Burnley to a first home league defeat of the season as part of four consecutive wins, they can end the campaign on 95 points and that would see the Clarets’ maximum possible tally drop to 97. A draw would see Burnley’s highest possible finish fall to 98 while Sheffield United’s would be 93.

Defeat for the Blades at Turf Moor would mean they can only pick up a maximum of 92 points, while Burnley would still be on for 100. Simply put, the highest possible points tally a third-placed team could reach is 95 and so that is Leeds’ target, given they have a vastly superior goal difference to Sheffield United.

Saturday’s defeat of Preston leaves Leeds on 88 points and so even if Sheffield United were to win all four games, including that trip to Burnley, Farke’s side need just seven points - two wins and a draw - from their final four matches to go up on goal difference. Any points dropped by the Blades would reduce that number even further.

Leeds also now have an earliest possible date for promotion on the horizon, with a typically dismal Easter weekend now offering the chance of glory. Farke’s side must first win at Oxford United on Good Friday and can expect both their rivals to pick up three points, which would leave them and Burnley on 91 while Sheffield United would be on 86.

Victory for Leeds over Stoke on Easter Monday would send them eight points clear of Sheffield United, meaning anything but victory for the Blades at Turf Moor would send the Whites up. Farke’s side could even draw against the Potters and go up on the Monday, if it was followed up by a Burnley win.

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