Leeds United had high hopes of being able to avoid the stress, pressure and anxiety that comes for so many at this point of the Premier League season. After seeing off Nottingham Forest in comfortable fashion earlier this month, Leeds were flying high in confidence and optimistically looking towards survival.
Fans and pundits alike were studying the remaining fixtures, picking out where the remaining two or three wins United needed were coming from with the expectation that they would be able to continue making strides forward under Javi Gracia. The Whites followed up that Forest win by taking the lead against Crystal Palace at the point the live table showed Leeds were five points clear of the relegation zone.
Absolutely no one, then, could have predicted what would happen in the next three halves of football. Leeds bizarrely collapsed to a 5-1 defeat against the Eagles at Elland Road before shipping six in the very next game against Liverpool on Monday night to remain just two points clear of danger with seven games remaining.
