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Championship Champions, 2019-20: Marcelo Bielsa Takes Leeds United Back to the Premier League
Leeds United won the 2019-20 Championship title with 93 points under Marcelo Bielsa, ending a 16-year wait for a return to the Premier League.
Sixteen years later
The 2019-20 Championship title ended Leeds United's 16-year absence from the Premier League. Marcelo Bielsa's side combined intense pressing, positional football and attacking movement with a defence that produced 23 clean sheets across the season.
A season interrupted by history
Leeds started strongly and built a substantial challenge at the top of the Championship. The season was then suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When football resumed behind closed doors, Leeds maintained their focus. The title was finally confirmed in July after West Bromwich Albion failed to win at Huddersfield Town, meaning no team could catch Leeds' 87 points at that point.
The final numbers
Leeds finished with 93 Championship points from 46 matches, winning 28, drawing nine and losing nine in the league; the club's official season review records 29 wins, nine draws and 11 defeats across all competitions. Leeds scored 82 goals and conceded 38, kept 23 clean sheets, and went on an 11-game unbeaten run and a seven-game winning run.
The key players
Patrick Bamford led the Championship scoring charts for Leeds with 16 goals. Pablo Hernandez provided nine assists and was named Player of the Year. Ben White and Jack Harrison made 46 appearances, while Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich, Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling were central to the side. Phillips' role as the midfield anchor became one of the defining tactical features of the Bielsa team.
The moment the goal was achieved
The title was secured without the traditional open-top celebration because of the pandemic. That strange ending could not diminish the achievement. Leeds United were champions and, after 16 years away, were returning to the Premier League. The campaign became one of the most important modern seasons in the club's history.