Sunday results leave Leeds United on verge of sealing top-half finish but European hopes almost gone

LEEDS United now need just one more win to mathematically guarantee a top-half finish in their first season back in the Premier League.
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Saturday's 4-0 romp at Burnley put Leeds on to 53 points for the current campaign and strengthened United's hold on tenth place.

It meant that 11th-placed Aston Villa and 12th-placed Wolves were the only teams capable of overhauling Leeds but both teams lost their Sunday fixtures at Crystal Palace and Tottenham respectively which leaves Villa as the only threats.

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Leeds are now guaranteed to finish at least 11th but Villa are four points below the Whites with two games left.

SETBACK: For Aston Villa boss Dean Smith who saw his side fall to a 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace on Sunday which left 11th-placed Villa four points behind Leeds with two games left. Photo by JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.SETBACK: For Aston Villa boss Dean Smith who saw his side fall to a 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace on Sunday which left 11th-placed Villa four points behind Leeds with two games left. Photo by JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.
SETBACK: For Aston Villa boss Dean Smith who saw his side fall to a 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace on Sunday which left 11th-placed Villa four points behind Leeds with two games left. Photo by JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images.

Villa have a plus three better goal difference but three points from United's final two games would now seal a top-half finish, even if Villa take six points in their last two fixtures.

Dean Smith's side also have two extremely tough tests to end the season with as Wednesday night's clash at sixth-placed Tottenham Hotspur is followed by a home date against fourth-placed Chelsea on the final day.

Leeds could mathematically still finish as high as sixth but the Whites would need to win both of their remaining games and then require a freak set of results elsewhere and a goal difference miracle.

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Realistically, Tottenham's 2-0 success at home to Wolves on Sunday has just about ended United's hopes of sealing European football for next year for which a seventh-placed finish will likely be enough.

However, Leeds are six points adrift of both sixth-placed Spurs and seventh-placed West Ham who both have a better goal difference and United's European hopes will be over if either side pick up another point - or if the Whites drop another point.

But one more win from either Tuesday night's clash at Southampton or next Sunday's finale at home to West Brom will guarantee a hugely impressive top half finish and Leeds also have sound prospects of overhauling Arsenal in ninth, or even Everton in eighth.

The Whites are two points behind the ninth-placed Gunners whose two remaining games come at Crystal Palace on Wednesday night and at home to Brighton on the final day.

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Eighth-placed Everton are three points ahead of the Whites and the Toffees will end their season with Wednesday's hosting of Wolves, followed by Sunday's trip to Manchester City.

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Thank you Laura Collins

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