Championship top two at Christmas: How last 28 teams fared by end of season amid Leeds & Sheffield Utd battle
How many teams over the last 14 years have finished the season in first or second place after being there at Christmas?
Leeds United earned another important three points in their promotion push on Saturday. A statement 4-0 thrashing of relegation candidates Oxford United extended the Whites’ unbeaten run and keeps them second in the table for Christmas.
As Sheffield United also banked another win, three points continue to separate the two sides at the top of the table. Burnley also picked up an important win, keeping them tight with the promotion-challenging pack. Former leaders Sunderland are now five points off the top spot but only two away from an automatic promotion place.
As we head further down the table, the fight to finish inside the top six is heating up. Many use the end of the year as a guide to predict how the final standings will look at the end of the season, but how accurate is this method of estimation? With Sheffield United and Leeds currently the teams in first and second place, how likely are they to stay there?
We’ve taken a look back through the archives to see how often the top duo at Christmas has been the same as the final top two.
Last season, champions Leicester City and runners-up Ipswich Town progressed to the Premier League. The Foxes and the Tractor Boys were indeed occupying first and second place respectively on Christmas Day 2023.
Burnley and Sheffield United were first and second in December 2022, and sure enough went on to finish the season in the exact same spots. Both earned promotion up to the top flight, with the Clarets celebrating a 101-point season as champions.
The season prior was also a similar affair. Champions Fulham and runners-up Bournemouth sat first and second in the Championship table on December 25th, 2021. The 2020/21 campaign breaks this pattern, though. Eventual promotion winners Bournemouth had been second in the table on Christmas Day in 2020 but fell drastically down the table and missed out on going up, while Watford slipped into second and joined champions Norwich City at the top at the end of the season.
In 2019, West Brom topped the tower, with Leeds in their wake. At the end of the season, both clubs finished in the top two, but in a different order, as Leeds romped home with the title and a ten-point cushion. The trophy made up for their near miss last time out, as Leeds threw away the top spot at Christmas 2018 to Norwich City, with Sheffield United finishing second.
The 2017/18 season saw Wolves and Cardiff City end both the year and the season in first and second place. As did Newcastle United and Brighton the year prior. Middlesbrough led the pack at Christmas 2015, with Derby County in second. However, neither team would win the title as Burnley stormed to first place, with Boro taking second and Derby finishing fifth.
In 2014, Bournemouth held their spot atop of the table to go on and win the title. Despite being second in December, Ipswich Town slipped down the standings and Watford elbowed their way up.
Now we’re at the ten-year mark, here’s a full breakdown of the last 28 teams who topped the Championship at Christmas over the last 14 years — take a look at how many held onto their position by the end of the season.