After Friday night’s devastating four-nil loss to QPR, many Leeds United fans’ hopes of automatic promotion were dashed. After the club capitulated at the worst possible time, in the best traditions of Leeds United Football Club, attention shifted to the form of play-off rivals such as Norwich and West Brom. On Saturday evening, Hull City provided Leeds United with an improbable lifeline by drawing Ipswich at the MKM Stadium.
Substitute Noah Ohio emerged as a hero for both Hull and Leeds United supporters, securing a 3-3 draw against Championship promotion contenders Ipswich after Hull came from behind three times. Ipswich, seeking for the final automatic promotion spot, appeared to have sealed the victory with two spectacular goals from Omari Hutchinson. Despite George Hirst’s early opening for Ipswich being ruled out by Ozan Tufan, Hutchinson’s magnificent looping shot shortly before halftime put Ipswich back in front.
After the break, Hull’s halftime substitute, Liam Delap, promptly levelled the score with a perfect strike. Hutchinson, on loan from Chelsea, demonstrated his talent once more by beating Hull’s custodian with a thunderous long-range shot. However, Ohio scored a remarkable equaliser for Hull in the 86th minute, capitalising on a mistake by Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky and blasting the ball into the net via the crossbar.
Ohio’s vital goal not only kept Hull’s playoff hopes alive, but it also put pressure on Ipswich, who now need to beat Leeds United’s point total in the last games of the season to achieve promotion. It’s a lifeline Leeds United fans couldn’t have hoped for after Friday night’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of QPR. The job for Daniel Farke’s team on the last day of the season will become clearer once Ipswich face Coventry on Tuesday night.
If the Tractor Boys defeat the Sky Blues, Leeds will have to rely on Huddersfield Town winning Ipswich, which appears doubtful, while also defeating Southampton. Any other outcome on Tuesday night would mean Leeds only needed to better Ipswich’s result on the last day of the season. So the dream lives on, and the battle for promotion goes down to the final day of the season.
I am not sure Leeds United fans will have much left of their fingernails by 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon.
