Leeds maintained their push for automatic promotion with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.
Now nine points off the play-offs with only three games remaining, their goal difference means that a top-six tilt is now highly unlikely.
Despite this, Boro, on a nine-game unbeaten streak before this match, aimed to finish the season positively.
Had Leeds lost, the door would have opened for Leicester to seal promotion on Tuesday night with a win against Southampton at the King Power Stadium.
To the relief of the traveling fans, Crysencio Summerville, Patrick Bamford, and Wilfried Gnonto obliged with potentially vital goals in a thrillingly compelling game that showcased the second tier’s often underrated appeal.
While a restorative win featuring stellar performances from Archie Gray, Summerville, and Bamford leaves Leeds one point behind the leaders, Leicester, and one ahead of Ipswich, their rivals both have a game in hand.
Isaiah Jones’s clash with Junior Firpo was highly anticipated, with Jones initially scoring for Middlesbrough. Firpo’s hesitation led to a penalty for Leeds, converted by Summerville, followed by Bamford’s goal against his former team. Latte Lath’s sublime goal for Boro kept the tension high, but Leeds equalized through Gnonto. Summerville’s impressive solo effort restored Leeds’s lead, and Latte Lath’s late header set up a thrilling finish.
Despite Boro’s strong form, they fell short, while Leeds’s push for promotion was evident in their determined performance.
Leeds move back up to second, one point behind leaders Leicester and one ahead of Ipswich in third, while Middlesbrough’s faint play-off hopes end as they stay ninth, nine points off the top six with only two games left to play.
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke called the seven-goal thriller at the Riverside between Middlesbrough and his victorious Leeds United side a good advertisement for the Championship, as he complimented both sets of players for contributing to the spectacle.
Farke said: “I think first of all it was a good advertisement for Championship football and all the supporters enjoyed the game between two good sides who really went for it and wanted to win and massive compliments to the lads to win this.
“The game started in the worst possible way for us and it was really unlucky and disappointing, a deflected pass and they scored. Middlesbrough played with freedom and it was more or less their last highlight and they could go for it. They’re in good shape, nine games unbeaten and were 1-0 up early on and the whole stadium was buzzing versus Leeds United.
“With so many young players, to show such a reaction and create so many chances and score fantastic goals was great. At times, we were a bit naive and it was a bit of a basketball game and we lost the ball unnecessarily in our half for the equaliser. But compliments to Middlesbrough, it was a fantastic performance.
“We showed a great mentality to go 3-2 up at half-time. It was important to calm them down and their nerves down against the ball and work a bit more on our structure against the bar and we controlled the game more against the ball in the second half. We wanted to allow them a bit more possession in areas where they can’t hurt us.
“They had set-pieces but we cleared them really well. We wanted to win the game on the counter-attack. But it’s football, it’s the Championship. Out of one long ball they scored and in the last minutes their keeper was in our box more than his. They tried everything, the stadium was awake and we could feel the pressure. It was difficult. We needed to show some resilience and steel and we did. Many compliments to the heart and character of my players.”