Leeds United rebounded from their recent disappointment at Wembley, defeating the already-relegated Burnley 3-1 at Elland Road, making significant progress toward Premier League survival.
Following a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinal last Sunday, Daniel Farke’s team opened the scoring with a stunning long-range goal from Anton Stach. They extended their lead with goals from Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the second half.
Burnley managed to pull one back through Loum Tchaouna in the 71st minute, but the visitor’s struggles continued as they suffered a fifth consecutive league defeat, following the mutual departure from manager Scott Parker earlier in the week.
This victory marked Leeds’ third win in their last four league matches, bringing them to 14th place in the standings, nine points ahead of the relegation zone, with their rivals set to play later in the weekend.
Former Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani was in attendance and quickly celebrated the team’s first goal. In the eighth minute, Jaka Bijol set up Stach, who launched a powerful low strike from 30 yards that found the back of the net, marking his fifth goal in the league this season.
This early goal allowed Leeds to dominate possession, forcing Burnley into their own half as they searched for more. Stach, returning to the starting lineup after a four-game injury hiatus, later missed a free kick from a similar distance, and Ao Tanaka also had a shot that flew over the bar.
Burnley, confirmed to be relegated after last week’s 1-0 loss to Manchester City, remained composed through stretches of pressure, defending stoutly until the break.
At the start of the second half, James Ward-Prowse’s deflected shot was easily saved by Leeds goalkeeper Karl Darlow, but Leeds soon struck again, netting two goals within four minutes to seal the game.
A well-worked move down the right side featuring Calvert-Lewin and Jayden Bogle set up Okafor to volley in Leeds’ second goal in the 52nd minute, marking the Swiss winger’s eighth league goal of the season and fourth in his last four matches.
Tanaka’s shot from 20 yards was parried by Dubravka, allowing Calvert-Lewin to score Leeds’ third goal just after the hour mark, bringing his tally to 12 league goals this season. The crowd responded with chants of “We are staying up” and “United are back” as Leeds looked secure.
Burnley found a response through Tchaouna in the 71st minute, who capitalized on a brilliant pass from former Leeds player Jaidon Anthony, evading Pascal Struijk to score in the bottom corner.
Despite Tchaouna’s goal lifting the Clarets’ spirits, Leeds manager Farke introduced substitutes Sean Longstaff and Brenden Aaronson to stabilize the play, guiding the team through eight minutes of added time and securing an unbeaten streak of six league matches.