Sheffield Uniteds hopes of an instant return to the Premier League suffered a blow on Monday evening when their Yorkshire rivals Leeds United came from behind to register a 3-1 victory in a promotion six-pointer at Bramall Lane.
The defeat leaves the Blades five points adrift of leaders Leeds with 12 games of the season remaining in the second tier.
Chris Wilders men still have a two-point buffer over third-placed Burnley in the second automatic promotion spot, as they hope that the two-point deduction they were handed this season does not come back to haunt them in the final table.
Why Sheffield United have been deducted two points this season
Sheffield United found themselves back in the Championship this season after finishing bottom of the Premier League table at the end of last season, having won just three games in the top tier on their way to a 16-point haul, the third-fewest in the competitions history.
Wilder returned to the club in December 2023 following his successful five-year stint which saw the team promoted to the top flight in 2019 and he again has the Blades in the thick of the promotion race,
But his job this season was made harder when the EFL confirmed in April 2024 that the club were facing a two-point deduction in their next Championship season, which was duly applied on day one of the current campaign.
The team were able to wipe that out on the opening weekend of the season, when they kicked off with a 2-0 win at Preston North End.
The punishment was handed out by an independent commission, with a further two points suspended after the club defaulted on payments to other clubs during their 2022/23 promotion-winning campaign.
The suspended points deduction will kick in should the club fail to meet any financial obligation to another club under a transfer compensation agreement for more than five business days.
The club has since changed ownership, with American-based consortium COH Sports completing a takeover in December, ending Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdulaziz Al Sauds 11-year spell at Bramall Lane.
This ownership group includes Avengers director Joe Russo as the club look to earn a third promotion to the Premier League in the past seven seasons.
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