'What are Leeds United doing?' - Chris Wilder's honest promotion warning after rollercoaster weekend

Chris Wilder has warned his Sheffield United squad will need to be at their best every week, with little sign of any Championship promotion candidate ‘easing up’ between now and May.

Sheffield United are now two points behind league leaders Leeds United following a rollercoaster weekend at the top of the Championship. The Blades kicked it all off with a miserable 3-0 defeat at home to Hull City, with fourth-placed Sunderland then conceding in the 90th minute to draw 2-2 against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

That meant Leeds and Burnley had a great opportunity to pull clear but the pair played out a drab 0-0 draw at Turf Moor on Monday - a result which probably left all the top-four happy enough. Daniel Farke’s side were part of an incredible four-team race last season and that looks set to be the case again, with the likelihood being another 90-point hail will be needed.

Wilder’s promotion warning

“It's good, innit?” Wilder told the Star of this season’s promotion battle. “I'll be surprised if anyone breaks into that four but it can happen. There are some good teams in there. Middlesbrough, and Blackburn went on a great run. The West Broms and Norwichs and other teams that have been in the Premier League and are finding it difficult to break into the top four. There's got to be a lot of credit for those teams in and around us, and what they've done so far.

“We're all immersed in it and looking. ‘What are Leeds doing, what are Sunderland doing, what are Burnley doing?’ Are they looking at our result at half-time against Swansea [when Sheffield United were 1-0 down] and going: 'That's alright?' Am I watching their games thinking something might happen?

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

“But you've got to compliment every team in terms of results, and I think that'll happen right the way through, listening to the pundits and the results going on and how teams are playing. And this is why I say we need to be at our strongest going into the last part of the season, because I don't see anyone else easing up. We've got to be strong, physically, mentally, tactically and technically, and take the big moments when they come up.”

Good weekend for Leeds

Leeds will have been satisfied to come through arguably this season’s toughest game on paper without the gap on them being closed, particularly given Sheffield United and Plymouth both played teams in the bottom three at kick-off. Farke’s side actually gained a point on the second-placed Blades, who themselves sit a point ahead of Burnley in third.

A draw also extended Leeds’ excellent run, with the Whites now unbeaten in their last 11 league games - a streak stretching back to their November defeat at Millwall. It’s a similar period of form to the one that saw them catch Leicester City and Ipswich Town last season, the difference this time being they were already around the top.

Things will get a bit more difficult for Leeds in the near future though with their next two opponents, Cardiff City and Coventry, both enjoying an uptick in form. Following that, Farke’s men will then face Watford, Sunderland, Sheffield United and West Brom in consecutive matches.