'Smashing everybody' - Chris Wilder heaps pressure on Leeds United with Championship promotion verdict

Chris Wilder has tipped the ‘fabulous’ Leeds United to win Championship promotion but hopes his Sheffield United side can continue to keep pace.

The Blades pulled back to within two points of league leaders Leeds following Wednesday night’s 3-1 win over Middlesbrough. Goals from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Ben Brereton Diaz and Anel Ahmedhodzic were enough to hand Wilder’s side a third straight win on a night all of Leeds’ three main promotion rivals enjoyed.

Daniel Farke’s side remain in the driving seat, however, having thumped Watford 4-0 on Tuesday evening to extend their unbeaten league run to 13 games. The more recent end of that period has seen Leeds really start to click and Wilder has now joined many other opposition managers in tipping them for a top-two spot come May.

“People look at tables and when somebody drops a couple of points and someone wins a game or whatever,” Wilder told The Star following Wednesday’s win over Boro. “We have just got to keep our heads down and keep doing what we are doing and if we do that, we are going to be in the mix.

“If we don’t, we will find ourselves out of it. We want to be involved in it right the way through to the end and if we keep producing those types of performances, then we are going to give ourselves a good chance.

Subscribe to Inside Elland Road, with Graham Smyth for unique, behind-the-scenes Leeds United coverage, expert analysis and exclusive interviews

“Leeds are the talked-about team and rightly so. They’re a fabulous group of players and are well-coached, smashing everybody here, there and everywhere. They’re everybody’s tip to win it. From my point of view, I’d say the same. But we want to make it interesting and hopefully we will do in terms of collecting the points and producing those performances.”

Sheffield United are one of the few teams left with a realistic chance of slowing Leeds momentum, with Bramall Lane playing host to a massive Yorkshire derby a week on Monday. There is a high chance both will still be in the top two by then, although things can change over the weekend of course.

Wilder’s side face Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Saturday and can even go top, with Leeds hosting promotion rivals Sunderland the following Monday. Focus will then turn to that huge Yorkshire derby but Wilder will not be looking that far ahead until his side’s weekend business is done.

"Listen, it's three points,” the Blades boss said of his side’s upcoming meeting with Leeds. “It's not going to make or break our season. There would be an advantage of course, but there will be an advantage if we don't get a result at Luton. I'm too old and experienced to take my eye off the ball.

“That game will take care of itself. We've got to fully tune in to Saturday. It's still an incredibly difficult place to go and get a result. The Leeds United game will take care of itself. It won't define our season. We have to make sure we're bang at it in the next couple of days and come away with a positive result on Saturday.”