Leeds and Burnley move into strong position to secure Premier League return

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LONDON (AP) — Leeds and Burnley have become big favorites to secure automatic Championship promotion spots in the race to get back in the Premier League.

After Burnley won 2-1 at home to Norwich on Friday, Leeds secured a 2-1 victory over Preston on Saturday.

First-place Leeds stayed ahead of Burnley on goal difference and they are both five points clear of third-place Sheffield United, which conceded two late goals to lose 2-1 at last-place Plymouth on Saturday — four days after losing at home to Millwall.

There are only four rounds of games remaining.

“We’ve given up another massive opportunity to get in touch and close the gap to Leeds and Burnley,” said Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, who clashed with some celebrating Plymouth players as the teams came off the field after the final whistle. “So we’re not in a great position because of a week full of poor results. We have to own that and reset Monday.”

Leeds is in its second season back in the second tier after relegation from the Premier League, while Burnley is seeking an immediate return to the top flight.

The top three are next in action on Friday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer