Leeds United and Leicester City could be thanking Cardiff City come May: View | OneFootball

As we approach the final months of the Championship season, it can be tempting to over-analyse everything in the promotion race.

With four clubs competing for the two automatic promotion places, any slip up can be pivotal, and it’s fair to say that Leeds United were the big winners this weekend.

Daniel Farke’s men picked up a tenth victory in 11 on Friday night at Sheffield Wednesday, as they overcame a tricky start to run out relatively comfortable winners at Hillsborough.

Then, having done their bit, they watched both Leicester and Ipswich drop points, with Saints’ 4-2 success over Sunderland preventing it from being the perfect gameweek for the Yorkshire side.

Ipswich Town collapse at Cardiff City

Yet, Ipswich’s loss at Cardiff could have greater consequences than the Tractor Boys simply losing three points, as the manner of their defeat was alarming.

Kieran McKenna’s side weren’t at their best in Wales, but they took a 79th minute lead through Kieffer Moore, as the big striker finished well with his left foot.

Even though they weren’t at their best, Ipswich looked set to pick up an impressive away win, and they were ahead of Leeds in second as it stood.

But, in a dramatic stoppage time, Cardiff would score twice, as they equalised in the 95th minute through Ryan Wintle, before Callum O’Dowda condemned McKenna’s men to their fifth defeat of the season when there were ten minutes of injury time on the clock.

So, this wasn’t just any loss, and the shell-shocked away end and the disbelief on the faces of the Ipswich players proved that.

They had the points in their hands, but that late collapse left them in third place.

Championship promotion race promises to be exciting

Momentum can be everything in football, and that would have felt like a real punch in the gut for Ipswich at such a crucial moment.

Their comeback win against Bristol City, which included missing a late penalty and still scoring later, meant the Suffolk side felt invincible. Portman Road was rocking, and back-to-back promotions seemed a real possibility.

However, you fast-forward a few days, and it was undoubtedly the low point of the campaign for Ipswich.

As we stressed initially, you can overplay every single thing, but the momentum that six successive wins brought has disappeared ahead of Sheffield Wednesday’s trip to Ipswich this weekend.

Whilst Leeds were the beneficiaries in terms of moving up one place, Leicester will also have breathed a huge sigh of relief after O’Dowda’s late winner.

A draw at Hull made it one win in five for Enzo Maresca’s side, with their wobble coming at the worst possible time.

Plus, their participation in the FA Cup means that had Ipswich beaten the Bluebirds, they could have potentially leapfrogged Leicester going into the international break.

Even with a game in hand, that would have changed the dynamics in the promotion race, and put more pressure on the Foxes as they had been leading the way for so long. Now though, Ipswich can only move within a point of their promotion rivals if they beat the Owls.

When the season ends, fans of all clubs reflect on the defining days that shaped how a campaign played out.

Leeds, there’s no doubt that the incredible injury-time defeat at Cardiff will fall into that category.