Burnley drop back down to third as Sheffield United claim derby spoils, but Leeds United stall
Burnley’s stay in second place was only a temporary one
Sheffield United reclaimed their spot in the Championship’s automatic promotion spots after emerging victorious in the Steel City derby.
Rhian Brewster’s second-half strike was enough to separate the two sides as Chris Wilder’s men overcame Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at Hillsborough.
It means the Blades move back into top spot, ahead of Burnley – who briefly moved ahead of them following their comfortable 2-0 win against Swansea City on Saturday.
Things have tightened up at the top though following Leeds United’s 2-2 draw with QPR in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday.
While Daniel Farke’s men still lead the way, they only lead Sheffield United on goal difference – while the gap to the Clarets stands at just two points.
Sunderland, meanwhile, dropped further back from the top three sides, sitting nine points adrift of Burnley following their 3-0 defeat to Coventry City on Saturday.
With only eight games remaining after the March international break, it’s all to play for in the race for automatic promotion.
While supporters understandably get caught up in results elsewhere in the division, Scott Parker insists his side can only afford to focus on themselves.
Considering they still have Sheffield United to play, if Burnley win all eight of their remaining games it means they will be automatically promoted.
“We took advantage of us winning again, that’s the most crucial thing,” Parker said after Saturday’s victory in South Wales.
“It’s 25 games unbeaten now, but like I always say, and it’s going to be pretty boring, but I don’t really have any interest in what other sides are doing. We just need to keep chalking off the wins.
“We're at the back end of this season now and it's been a long, gruelling, hard one. We just need to just keep trying to chalk off the wins.”