Despite being at loggerheads with Sheffield United all season long, Leeds United’s hopes of an automatic promotion finish are over after a hugely disappointing few days.

The Whites have sat comfortably in the top two all season, making huge strides under the management and guidance of Marcelo Bielsa.

The first half of the season was ideal for Leeds in their bid for promotion - they got to grips with Bielsa’s tactics and style of play almost immediately, losing only three times between the first game of the season and New Year’s Eve.

But as more and more teams sussed out Bielsa and his side, the Easter period has all but ended their dreams of automatic promotion. They first lost 2-1 to 10-men Wigan Athletic at Elland Road, and were comfortably beaten by Brentford at Griffin Park.

Looking back though, it isn’t the two defeats in four days that have exterminated the Yorkshire club’s chances of promotion, as they have been on the decline ever since Boxing Day.

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After a solid first half of the campaign, the Whites have lost nine times since Christmas, which shows how much they have struggled in the second half of the season.

Whether that be because or fatigue or teams beginning to work Bielsa’s team out, it’s hard to tell, but one thing is for sure, comparing this statistic to their promotion rivals doesn’t make up for pretty reading.

Sheffield United and Norwich have lost just twice since Boxing Day, and albeit a miracle occurs, they both now look destined for automatic promotion, with the Blades set to all but confirm their place in the Premier League if they beat already-relegated Ipswich this weekend.

Bielsa’s men will now be looking to build momentum going into the play-offs, and the trouble is, the likes of Aston Villa and West Brom are likely to be smelling blood, with Leeds looking vulnerable and bound to be lacking in confidence after quite simply running out of steam, in the second half of an enthralling campaign.