Promotion hopefuls Leeds United and Burnley played out an uneventful at Turf Moor last night. Goal-scoring opportunities were at a premium in a top-of-the-table clash that was anything but a classic.
It took until the 89th minute for either side to register a shot on target, with James Trafford tipping Daniel James’ shot over the bar. The draw stretched the Whites’ unbeaten Championship run to 11 matches and moved the leaders two points clear of Sheffield United in the race for automatic promotion.
When asked if it felt like a good point, skipper Ethan Ampadu told LUTV: “Yeah, when you think about it, I think we hold ourselves to such high expectations. We wanted to go out and win.
“Maybe the first half we showed them a little bit too much respect with how they defend. “They have only conceded nine for a reason, they’re hard to break down, hard to play against, they’re good at what they do.
“It’s a good point but because of our expectations, it’s natural to be a little bit, not down, but you know what I’m trying to get at.”
David Anderson – Daily Mirror
This was Burnley’s ninth goalless draw of the campaign and they desperately need to boost their firepower. That requires money they don’t have and they are still paying the price for shelling out nearly £100million in the summer of 2023 when they last won promotion. Leeds are also anaemic up front and top scorer Joel Piroe had a real off night and was replaced by Mateo Joseph.
The Premier League has little to fear based on this evidence if both sides win promotion. The game reflected the growing financial chasm between the fat cats in the Premier League and the have-nots in the Championship.
Burnley came down last season with the two other promoted sides – United and Luton. It could well be the same this year with Southampton doomed and Ipswich and Leicester fighting to avoid following them straight back down.
It’s getting harder for promoted clubs to survive in the top flight and Burnley and Leeds will struggle on the basis of these 90 minutes. Yes, they are ripping up the Championship, but that means little in the rarefied atmosphere of the Premier League.
Ross Heppenstall – The Telegraph
If both these sides are playing Premier League football next season then no one will remember this damp squib where the football was as filthy as the weather.
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