Leeds and Norwich draw 0-0. West Brom vs Southampton is also goalless

In the race to secure the final Premier League promotion spot, nothing separated all four teams after Sunday’s semi-final first leg.

Norwich and Leeds drew 0-0 at Carrow Road and it was followed by another goalless draw between West Bromwich Albion and Southampton.

Leeds host Norwich in the second leg on Thursday and Southampton are at home to West Brom the following day.

All four teams will be hoping they can produce more creativity and progress in the second leg to secure a place in the final at Wembley on May 26.

Perhaps it was the pressure of what was at stake that made both games so close.

The goalkeeper in the game between Norwich and Leeds was not too troubled either.

Leeds finished the regular season third in England’s second tier with 90 points. It was 17 more than sixth-placed Norwich, but failed to show its superiority on this occasion.

Norwich fell to 17th in November as many supporters wanted manager David Wagner to be sacked. Wagner survived and the man who lifted Huddersfield through the play-offs in 2017 found himself in the 2024 version with fellow German Daniel Farke, who led Norwich to automatic promotion as Championship winners in 2019 and 2021.

Southampton finished fourth in the Championship, one place above West Brom.

Both Leeds and Southampton are aiming for an immediate return to the top flight after being relegated last season.

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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Associated Press