Leeds United and Burnley's to-the-death battle left Daniel Farke unable to celebrate last season's title but the rivalry made the Whites a better team.
Both Farke's Leeds and Scott Parker's Burnley reached the 100-point milestone in an incredible 2024/25 Championship title race, requiring goal difference to separate the two. The title was bound for Turf Moor until the 91st minute of Leeds' game at Plymouth ARgyle when Manor Solomon scored to snatch it away from the Clarets. Of the two sides Leeds could lay claim to the 'great entertainers' tag having scored 26 more goals than Burnley and threatened to match their points tally with their goals for column. But Burnley were the division's defensive colossus, conceding just 16 goals in the league all season. The pair duked it out to the very end and both deservedly took their place in the Premier League for the 2025/26 campaign.
"They were at least not good for my heart and my nerves, for sure, because we needed a 95th-minute winner in the 46th game to win the league," said Farke ahead of the first Leeds versus Burnley game of the top flight season.
"It was a long, tough season and after the final whistle I was not able to celebrate. I had to sit down for a few moments because I was completely done. To make us a better team yes, because we couldn’t allow ourselves to take one percent off the gas. Sheffield United also played an incredible season and Burnley were fantastic. To win the league, we couldn’t have had one less point to win it so we definitely did it the hard way."
What the neck-and-neck race with Burnley did for Leeds was to help drive the players on to the very end. A run of three straight draws raised concerns of a late-season wobble and briefly gave Sheffield United and Burnley hope of a Leeds collapse, before they reeled off six consecutive victories to clinch the title.
"Burnley played a part and also to instil this culture and mentality of consistency and to keep going until the last second was helpful," said Farke. "But if you ask me, I would have preferred it the other way round – to half be on holiday at the beginning of April, but sadly it was not possible."
The two sides meet at Tuf Moor on Saturday afternoon with Leeds four points clear of the 18th-placed Clarets.
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