Leeds United: Daniel Farke reveals whether he was aware of Sheffield United collapse at Plymouth after what Elland Road crowd did | OneFootball

Sheffield United's dramatic 2-1 defeat at Plymouth Argyle has played right into Leeds' hands

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has revealed his side were aware of Sheffield United’s dramatic 2-1 defeat at Plymouth Argyle as they held out to beat Preston North End at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

It was a potentially-defining afternoon in the context of this season’s automatic promotion race, as the Blades suffered their third straight defeat following previous losses to both Millwall and Oxford United.

Plenty of attention was given to Leeds’ slump in form, which had seen them win just once across March and into the beginning of April, but Chris Wilder’s side have now hit a snag at the worst possible time and may have just squandered their chances at securing a top-two finish.

Leeds, meanwhile, are capitalising on exactly that and made it two successive victories against the Lilywhites, with all goals scored within the first 13 minutes. Manor Solomon opened the scoring after just four minutes, before Jayden Bogle cancelled out an equaliser from Preston’s Kaine Kesler-Hayden.

The Whites have now returned to the top of the table with just four games to spare and are level on points with second-placed Burnley, who edged out Norwich City on Friday evening, whereas their cross-Yorkshire rivals have been cut five points adrift of the top-two.

Both Leeds and the Blades were playing in lunchtime kick-offs, and Daniel Farke’s side were well-aware of late events unfolding down in Devon.

Daniel Farke's Leeds United side were aware of Sheffield United, Plymouth Argyle developments

Late on in Leeds’ fixture, news of Sheffield United’s collapse at Home Park spread around Elland Road like wildfire.

Celebrations naturally ensued, with the home crowd delighted by the Blades' late collapse.

The Blades looked on course to return to winning ways after Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s first-half strike kept them in the ascendancy for much of the afternoon. However, both Ryan Hardie and Muhamed Tijani struck within the final ten minutes of regular time to inspire a dramatic late turnaround for Plymouth, handing a seismic blow to United’s automatic promotion hopes in the process.

It came amid a nervy end to the game back up in Leeds, who managed to keep their cool and see out the result despite the distraction and drama.

Farke revealed as much when speaking in his post-match press conference, lauding his side for holding their nerve.

On whether he was aware of what was happening at Plymouth, Farke said: "A little bit because of the reaction of the supporters. We didn't know the scoreline but were aware it could be an important step.

"It led to a situation where we were all a bit more on it and everyone could sense in the stadium we needed to win this three points.

"We also had to stay cool, not forget what we had to do against the ball and only focus on what happens on other pitches. It was important we stayed focused on the here and now, I like this balance. The fire was burning. Fire in the heart, cool in the head. It's a good balance."

Leeds United's remaining Championship fixtures

Leeds are next in action on Good Friday, where a trip to Oxford awaits. They will be looking, of course, to avoid the Blades’ fate at the Kassam Stadium just last weekend and come away with all three points, though Oxford have won three of their last five and should not be underestimated.

On Easter Monday, meanwhile, they will face another side fighting at the wrong end of the league table in Stoke City, and will fancy their chances backed by the Elland Road crowd.

Arguably their stiffest test in the remaining fixtures could come on April 28 at home to a Bristol City side very much in the play-off reckoning and capable of springing a surprise.

That could also happen on the final day, which will see Leeds head down to Plymouth themselves. Miron Muslic’s side have shown they can beat anyone on their day - even if that day perhaps hasn’t come around too often - and a final day trip to Home Park could be daunting, especially with Plymouth likely to have their own survival bid riding on that outcome.