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The ink is not dry yet, but the mood around Elland Road on this springtime Saturday afternoon perhaps told you that what many have started to truly believe over the last few days could soon become official.
There have been some wobbles throughout Leeds’ return to the Premier League, not least prior to this season-defining week, when a run of six games without a win had threatened to suck Daniel Farke’s side back towards a bottom three they have been outside since the start of December. Heck, there were even a couple of hair-raising moments during this game.
But here is the thing. Leeds have always seemed to do enough throughout the course of this campaign to keep their heads above water and now, in the space of five monumental days, they have all-but assured they will be a Premier League side once again next year, having backed up Monday’s historic win at Manchester United with this straightforward triumph.
Any variation of results over the weekend could see Wolves’ relegation finally confirmed but it has been widely accepted for some time they will be in the Championship next season. That made this afternoon feel all the more important for the hosts, who knew they would pull even further away from trouble with a win.
And while Leeds’ fate this season is still not rubber-stamped, we are moving towards a point where it may become official. In each of the last eight seasons, 39 points has been enough to guarantee Premier League survival: in some cases, by a comfortable margin. And on this showing, Leeds are unlikely to finish as low as that. They are almost there.
“During a normal season 39 points is enough but it’s a special season when teams like Tottenham are trying to chase us,” Farke said, perhaps trying to keep his team on their toes. Having lost just four games since the turn of the year, the German deserves credit for his role in Leeds’ run to probable safety. “Nothing is done yet,” he warned. “We may need one, or a few more points.”
The damage was done by his side inside a blistering opening 25 minutes at Elland Road. Having started much the stronger of the two sides, James Justin’s wonderful overhead kick was followed two minutes later by Noah Okafor’s clever finish. Having scored twice in the win at Old Trafford, he now has five in his last seven and is timing his late-season form as well as his team.
Wolves offered very little in the way of a response before half-time, and having showed some fight in recent weeks despite their fate being sealed, this was a fairly meek showing from Rob Edwards’ side. “We shot ourselves in the foot again,” he reflected. “We are where we are because of too many individual mistakes that you get punished for at this level.”
There were chances after half-time as the visitors improved, and had they taken one of them, this could have been a much nervier afternoon for Leeds and their supporters than it ultimately proved to be. Karl Darlow produced a fine save to deny Ladislav Krejci’s before Adam Armstrong’s effort was correctly ruled out for offside.
But their travelling fans, knowing relegation is now imminent, made their feelings clear towards Edwards and the players afterwards and the Wolves manager had little defence. “I’m as angry as they are,” he said. “This has been a long time coming and all I can do is promise them we’re working extremely hard to never feel like this again.”
It was slightly more frenetic than it needed to be for Leeds, who had controlled it for so long. But on a day like this, winning was really all that mattered. And when Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted an stoppage-time penalty after being fouled by Hugo Bueno, you could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from Farke, his players and the Elland Road faithful.
We have known for some time where Wolves are heading next season; in truth, the question has been more about who will join them in the Championship. Now, despite a few nervy moments along the way, you can perhaps put a line through Leeds on the list of teams that will drop down with Edwards’ men.
