Leeds United’s Premier League relegation rivals announce shock manager sacking on eve of derby fixture

Leeds United’s Premier League relegation rivals Crystal Palace have sacked Patrick Vieira as manager ahead their clash with Arsenal on Sunday.

Three members of his coaching staff - Osian Roberts, Kristian Wilson and Saïd Aïgoun - have also left the club while Dean Kiely will remain in his post as goalkeeping coach.

Chairman Steve Parish said: “It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made. Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.

“That said, Patrick’s impact since joining us in the summer of 2021 has been significant, and he is held in the highest regard by myself, and all of his colleagues. He led the team to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final and respectable 12th placed finish last season playing some exciting football, which was a challenging and crucial campaign for the club given the changes we made to the squad prior to his arrival.

“Patrick has given his all to the club, and we all thank him and his team for their service. We also wish Patrick, Osian, Kristian and Saïd the very best for their futures.”

Palace are three points clear of the relegation zone and four points ahead of Leeds in 19th. The process to appoint a new manager is already underway.

The Whites welcome the London club to Elland Road on April 8 in a huge fixture at the bottom of the table. After Sunday’s meeting with Arsenal, Palace’s next six games are against sides currently in the bottom nine.

Only three of their remaining 11 league meetings are against sides in the top half as they face an incredible number of relegation six-pointers in the final third of the season.