Liam Cooper claims it is unbelievable that Leeds United will be playing Premier League football again next season after everything that was thrown their way this term. A long list of injuries and suspensions at key times threatened the Whites’ top-flight status but they were able to confirm survival in style at Brentford on the final day.
Cooper’s lengthy injury lay-off was one of the big reasons behind the struggles for much of the campaign as the defence looked much stronger when he was back. Leeds conceded 26 goals in the 20 games he started, an average of 1.3 per game, compared to almost three goals per game in the games he didn’t start.
When asked in an interview with the club’s official website how good it sounds that Leeds are still a Premier League club, he replied: “It sounds unbelievable. I think we set out at the start of the season for a lot better than that, but after the adversity and injuries we’ve had, it’s been backs against the walls.
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“I’m not one for celebrating stuff like this, but, after the adversity and what we’ve been through as a group, we’ve stuck together and never turned on each other once. We’ve had that belief and we needed that belief going into the last minutes, then Jack Harrison popped up, and what a finish!”
There are often question marks over whether the players and managers involved in final-day battles are aware of the relevant results elsewhere. Cooper admitted he made it his job to find out how Burnley’s home game against Newcastle was panning out.
“I took it upon myself,” revealed the Leeds captain. “We knew what the score was at half-time and every 10 minutes I was asking the boys on the bench ‘what score is it, what score is it?”
Ultimately, the hard work and desire that the Leeds players showed all season shone through in the end and the release of emotion from the players and fans when Harrison’s strike hit the back of the net said it all. Cooper was keen to thank the supporters for their efforts throughout the campaign as they didn’t once turn their backs on the team even after some really tough results.
“It’s been stressful I can’t lie, but we’ve come in every day, we’ve worked hard and if you do that and keep knocking on the door, things pay off,” he added.
“We’re delighted to be playing Premier League football again and that’s for the fans. They’ve stuck with us this season. The atmosphere they’ve generated has been unbelievable, they’ve got us through it again, so thank you very much.”
