Leeds United faced Newcastle United on Saturday in a fixture that was a ‘must-win’ for both sides.
Leeds and Newcastle couldn’t have had a more contrasting season – one is fighting to qualify for the Champions League and the other is battling relegation for the second year running.
This fixture came late on in the 2021/22 season whilst both teams were struggling at the bottom end of the league. Newcastle looked doomed until an ownership change followed a unique run of form to take them out of the relegation dog-fight last season that was sparked by a victory at Elland Road.
This season the points were shared as the teams played out an action packed 2-2 draw.
3 penalties, one red card and some wasteful shooting from Leeds meant the club could not lift themselves out of the bottom three.
Mark, a season-ticket holder in the Kop at Leeds, said “we’ve been awful all year. We deserve to be where we are and the missed opportunity to win today, with Everton to play Man City, means we probably won’t get out of it [bottom three in the table].”
Fans have been desperate for a win to alleviate the pressure the players must feel after coming so close to relegation last year, being saved on the final day of the season, and once again this year being so close.
Sam Allardyce was appointed manager for the remaining 4 games of the season that began with an away loss to Manchester City. He said “I hope it goes to the wire. We have to keep our fingers crossed today or tomorrow that the others don’t win. We’re in that position of ‘let’s hope they slip-up’. It’s not in our hands.”
Leeds have an away fixture against West Ham, themselves were in trouble before putting together a decent run of results to lift them out, and a final day home tie against Tottenham Hotspur to retain their Premier League status.