In what is one of the most incredible phases of play in football one can remember, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa allowed Aston Villa to score in a remarkable 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Sunday.
What added to the occasion was the fact that this result confirmed Sheffield United’s promotion to the Premier League.
Leeds fell five points behind The Blades with just one game remaining after the hosts stood aside to let Albert Adomah run from kick-off and equalise. This was after Leeds took the lead through Mateusz Klich, while Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia was down injured.
Bielsa had been confronted by Villa assistant boss John Terry as players on the field and both benches clashed following Klich’s controversial opener.
Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi was sent-off in the melee as the visitors’ club record 10-game winning streak came to an end.
The two sides could meet again in the playoff final if Villa overcome West Brom over two legs, while Bielsa’s men will have to rouse themselves from the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion when they face Derby, Middlesbrough or Bristol City.
Sheffield United realistically secured their spot back in the top-flight with a 2-0 win over Ipswich on Saturday thanks to their much superior goal difference.
The first controversy erupted when it looked like Leeds were preparing to stop play with a Villa player down injured but that was not the case, with Klich running down the left flank to score the game’s first goal. That immediately resulted on a mass brawl on the pitch and in the sidelines and resulted in the sending off for the Villa player.
As the dust settled, Bielsa was seen in the sidelines talking to his players and later yelling out “give the goal, give the goal” at his entire team.
When play resumed, Adomah ran through the Leeds half only to be tackled by Leeds defender Jansson who was not happy conceding the goal. The Villa player scored all the same and the score was 1-1, as it eventually ended.
Watch the two incidents here below:
Another version of the incident here:
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