Despite Leicester City’s strong start to the Championship season, EFL pundit David Prutton does not think the team is guaranteed to go up just yet.
After being unexpectedly demoted from the Premier League the previous season, Leicester has bounced back, winning 13 of their first 15 league games in 2023–2024. If they hadn’t lost 1-0 to Leeds United on Friday night, it would have been even better.
The outcome saw third-place Leeds drop to eight points behind second-place Ipswich Town, who were held to a 2-2 draw at Rotherham United on Tuesday, and cut City’s lead inside the automatic promotion zone from 14 to 11 points.
When the team led by Enzo Maresca visits Middlesbrough on Saturday (3pm kickoff), they will be hoping to recover. Even though Leicester is still the favorite to return to the top flight right away, Prutton has cautioned that there is still a long way to go.
The former midfielder for Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest, Leeds, and Nottingham Forest said to Sky Sports: “A lot of the talk about the game is that Leeds played really bravely. Leeds and Leicester City both dropped out of the Premier League at the same time, and they both want to return as quickly as possible.
“I thought they defended tremendously well. Georginio Rutter was in the right place at the right time. Illan Meslier made a big save at the end of the game. They showed a way of going to Leicester and coming away with all three points.
“The gap would have been 17 points had Leicester won, but now it’s just 11. Leeds’ next port of call is cutting the gap on second and then possibly catching Leicester. I don’t agree with what a lot of people are saying in that it’s done and dusted.
“I think Leicester have been the standout performers this season but Leeds showed a way to beat them. Leicester have now lost two games, while Leeds have lost three, so it’s those fine margins of draws for Leeds that has created this gap, but there’s plenty of time.”
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