'Keeping their nerve' - Leeds United have made Gabby Agbonlahor eat his words after ill-timed 'bottle' jibe

Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has U-turned on a two-week-old taunt of Leeds United after Daniel Farke’s side ‘held their nerve’ to pull five points clear of Sheffield United.

Leeds took a big step towards the Premier League on Saturday by beating Preston North End 2-1, with first-half goals from Manor Solomon and Jayden Bogle enough to ensure a massive three points remained at Elland Road. A hard-fought victory was made even sweeter as news filtered up from Home Park that promotion rivals Sheffield United had lost 2-1 at rock-bottom Plymouth Argyle.

Promotion is by no means secure but Saturday’s drama has left Leeds five points clear of Sheffield United with four games to go, a huge change to the promotion picture just one week after Farke’s side dropped out of the top two. The Whites endured a difficult March with just one win in five and as outsiders took great joy in seeing their rivals ‘fall apart’, Agbonlahor rubbed salt in the wound.

“I don’t think they will [go up], I think Leeds will miss out on the top two, I really do”, Agbonlahor initially said on talkSPORT ahead of Leeds’ 2-2 draw against Swansea City just over two weeks ago. “Yes, but this is what they do. I just think Sheffield United, for me, will definitely go up, and I feel like Burnley. I feel like Leeds will throw it away.”

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Another disappointing result against Swansea led Agbonlahor to claim Meslier will ‘bottle’ promotion for his club but since then, Leeds have done everything to prove him wrong. Farke’s insistence a point at Luton Town was positive now looks to be correct and the Whites followed that up with consecutive wins over Middlesbrough and Preston.

Leeds United hold their nerve as Sheffield United collapse

They have taken seven points from that three-game block and pulled five clear of Sheffield United, whose 2-1 defeat at Plymouth was their third in a row against mid-table or bottom-half opposition. Leeds were still fancied for promotion even during those recent lows but now they’re heavy favourites, and Agbonlahor appears to have changed his tune.

“This stage of the season, Leeds and Burnley are keeping their nerve,” he told talkSPORT on Monday evening. “We had a [Leeds] caller on earlier, it was Tuesday, and one of the callers says ‘if we lose tonight [vs Middlesbrough], we’re definitely in the playoffs’.

“And we were like relax, there’s not many points in it, Sheffield United and Burnley have still got to play each other, Leeds are keeping their nerve. The pressure was on for them, but they’ve said ‘five games left, we’re still in it’, but now with four games left, it’s going to be very difficult [for Sheffield United to catch up]. It’s looking like Leeds and Burnley for the top two positions.”

Leeds have four games left to retain their top-two spot and focus is now solely on Friday’s trip to Oxford United, the scene of recent defeat for Sheffield United. Farke’s side know nothing is wrapped up just yet but three more points would go a long way to securing their fate.

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