Leeds United got clarity on the importance of their point against Brentford following Sunday's Premier League action.
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Leeds United learned the importance of their point against Brentford following tough defeats for rivals Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham on Sunday.
All of the Whites’ three main rivals were in action on Sunday, with the most notable game being 17th-placed Nottingham Forest’s trip to Tottenham one place above them. West Ham in 18th travelled to Champions League-chasing Aston Villa.
Leeds were the first of four relegation candidates to kick off over the weekend and were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Brentford. Daniel Farke’s side edged an attritional game but created little of note, missing the opportunity to claim a huge three points in a game many saw as winnable.
The point did pull Leeds a little closer to safety, however, with a four-point gap opened up on 18th-placed West Ham going into Sunday’s action. The same cushion was held over Nottingham Forest in 17th while Tottenham in 16th were three shy of the Whites.
The Spurs team coach was met by thousands of fans heading into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of their crunch clash with Forest. Igor Tudor’s side arguably enjoyed the better first-half chances but were hit by a sucker-punch when Igor Jesus headed home a corner just before the break.
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After a tense start to the second-half, Morgan Gibbs-White put Forest 2-0 up just beyond the hour mark. Callum Hudson-Odoi breezed past Pedro Porro before cutting back to his teammate, who was in acres of space on the penalty spot to finish underneath Guglielmo Vicario.
Forest had time to grab themselves a third as minute 90 approached, with substitute striker Taiwo Awoniyi getting the wrong side of Kevin Danso to finish Neco Williams’ teasing cross. That goal, and the full-time whistle, were both met with boos inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
West Ham travelled to a Villa side who’d lost their last three in the Premier League but like Spurs, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side found themselves a goal down at half-time. John McGinn curled home after a well-worked free-kick and in truth, the home side could have been further ahead.
Villa did get their second with 23 minutes of the game remaining, Ollie Watkins finishing a swift counter-attack after Hammers goalkeeper Mads Hermansen fumbled a relatively tame Morgan Rogers effort. West Ham were unable to cause their hosts any real problems as it ended 2-0 at Villa Park.
Saturday’s draw against Brentford, coupled with those Sunday results, now leaves Leeds four points clear of the relegation zone with seven games to go. West Ham occupy 18th place with their new closest rivals now being Tottenham, who are just one point above the drop.
Leeds remain 15th in the table, with Forest climbing to within one point of Farke’s side following their big win in North London. This is how the Premier League will look for three weeks now, with the FA Cup quarter-finals following the March international break.