Survival tastes all the sweeter after everything Leeds United have been through this season, says skipper Liam Cooper, who has sent a message of thanks to the supporters. Jack Harrison’s last minute winner was enough to secure a 2-1 win over Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium and secure Leeds' Premier League status for another year as Burnley slipped up at home to Newcastle United.
The final whistle was greeted with euphoric scenes as the Leeds players made their way to the pocket of travelling supporters to celebrate and breathe a huge sigh of relief. The Whites have struggled for fortune at times this season, with injuries racking up during periods of the season, but ultimately they had enough to get over the line, much to the delight of Cooper.
“We set out at the start at the start of the season for a lot better than that,” he told Sky Sports after the game. “After the adversity we’ve had and the injuries we’ve had it’s been backs against the wall.
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“That is a success in itself what we’ve done today and I’m not one for celebrating stuff like that but after the adversity and what we’ve been through together as a group, we stuck together and we never turned on each other. We had that belief in the squad.”
He added: “Me, myself, I took it upon myself. I knew what the score (at Burnley) was at half-time and every 10 minutes I was asking the boys on the bench, ‘what score is it?’ It’s crazy.”
“I think I need to apologise to my missus and kids for the last six weeks, they’ve been walking on eggshells around me, it’s been stressful, it’s been difficult. We come in every day and we work hard, and if you do work hard and you keep knocking on the door, eventually things pay off.
“We’re delighted to be playing Premier League football again. That’s for the fans, they’ve stuck with us all season and the atmospheres they have generated are unbelievable. We don’t deserve them at times and they’ve got us through again today, so thanks very much and I hope they all get home safely. They can be proud of us today.”
