Sheff Utd promoted to PL amid extraordinary scenes at Leeds

Joe Williams
Leeds United Aston Villa

Sheffield United will play Premier League football for the first time since 2007 next season after promotion rivals Leeds drew with Aston Villa in extraordinary circumstances.

Leeds needed to win to have any chance of preventing the Blades from joining Norwich in the top flight, but were held to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

Aston Villa substitute Anwar El Ghazi was sent off following a mass melee amid extraordinary scenes in his side’s Sky Bet Championship clash at Leeds.

With the score goalless midway through the second half, Villa were left furious when Leeds refused to kick the ball out of play as Jonathan Kodjia lay prone in midfield.

Leeds broke clear as Villa stopped and Mateusz Klich fired the home side into the lead, but in the fracas that followed referee Stuart Attwell was in danger of losing control.

Patrick Bamford fell to the ground holding his face after El Ghazi swung an elbow in his direction, although there appeared to be minimal contact.

Confusion abounded as Attwell conferred with both his assistants, while the two benches and players were involved in heated debate.

Leeds allowed Villa to run through unopposed when the game finally resumed – all apart from Pontus Jansson, who tried to halt Albert Adomah as he ran through to score.

The game ended with no further goals, which confirmed Sheffield United’s promotion to the Premier League.

Villa defender Tyrone Mings admitted it was a “brilliant” game to play in and praised Leeds boss Bielsa for insisting that Villa should be allowed to even things up.

“We were disappointed because we kicked it out for them (earlier in the game), they were saying ‘oh well it wasn’t a head injury’, but fair play to their manager for saying we could go and score a goal,” Mings told Sky Sports.

“It evened itself out, it was disappointing but that’s football.”

Mings sympathised with Jansson wanting to go against his manager and deny Villa the equaliser.

“Of course (I understand what he did),” he added. “I don’t know if I would do the same but I would probably feel the same.”