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Leeds are now unbeaten in six, including games against the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea, with only four goals conceded during the run. While Man Utd produced plenty of pressure yesterday, Meslier, as Rufus points out, had only one serious save to make. The improvement in our defence has been striking, and, while Cooper did very little wrong before his suspension, Llorente and Striujk look increasingly like a top class pairing. At the risk of getting ahead of ourselves, the outside chance of getting into Europe is still there. It remains unclear how many places are available for English sides, but seven appears to be a possibility. That would mean making up a six point gap on Spurs, who have still to come to Elland Road, during our last five matches. It may not happen but it shows how far Leeds have progressed during a season when many of us would initially have happily settled for 17th place.

We are not mathematically safe just yet, as West Brom, if they win all seven of their remaining games, and we get no more points, could overtake us on goal difference. However, if we shake off our natural sense of doom as we sit in tenth place, there is even a prospect that by getting up to seventh, depending on some imponderables, a return to Europe is not out of the question.

The last two decades have mostly been tough for Leeds supporters but yesterday, short of winning an actual trophy, was up there with our best days in recent history. To take on the best team in England, and possibly in Europe, on their own pitch with only ten men for most of the game and come away with a fully deserved win was quite an achievement. It was a brilliant performance and Dallas, who has previously featured in this thread, was outstanding from start to finish. What was striking was the way in which Bielsa refused to accept a draw in the closing stages and insisted on throwing players forward. He got his reward in the end and, assuming he stays in post and the club continues to get its recruitment policy right, there is nothing to prevent Leeds making further progress next season.

The law of averages did indeed come into play and it turned out to be an excellent point against a Chelsea side well in contention for the Champions League. We were hanging on for a while but we probably had the better chances overall and it could even have been a win in the end. The Bamford injury is a concern, as Rodrigo is more of a 10 than a 9, and may not be fully fit, while Roberts can lead the line but is also more of a midfielder and has not scored in the Premiership anyway. It shows that we need to strengthen the squad in the summer with a view to pushing on next season.

Leeds have had two draws in 27 league games this season, the lowest total in all four divisions, and Bielsa does not play for a point under any circumstances. We would still probably take one against Chelsea and perhaps the law of averages will eventually come into play.

Shark's statistical analysis is entirely logical but the fear expressed by Rufus that disaster is often lurking around the Elland Road corner cannot be discounted. Leeds are not playing particularly badly at the moment but we have still lost four of the last five. In one of those defeats, at Arsenal, we conceded four when it could easily have been six or seven and in the other three we did not score. Home advantage is not a factor this season and the next six games are against Chelsea, who are flying; Fulham, one of the form teams in the league; Sheffield United, who will probably accept their almost inevitable relegation if they beat their hated Yorkshire rivals; and then Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd, who are all likely to be too strong for us. If we do not pick up a couple of points soon, there will be enormous pressure going into the last three matches. I actually think we are capable of getting something from Chelsea on Saturday but with Leeds you just never know.

There's little doubt that Phillips is not only our most important player but the only one for whom we do not have a viable replacement at the moment. Struijk is improving rapidly as a central defender but looks very uncomfortable sitting in front of the back four. Dallas and Klich do not fit there either, while Forshaw might be worth a try were it not for the unfortunate fact that he has been out injured for the last 18 months. Meslier's performance yesterday had been coming, as for several games in a row he has only narrowly avoided interceptions while dwelling with the ball at his feet and waiting for a gap to appear. If he learns from the experience, he is still a fine prospect. Arsenal could realistically have had six or seven yesterday but the spirit Leeds showed at four down was excellent. At 4-2, Shackleton missed a great chance and then Bamford could easily have had a penalty. It was not necessarily connected with competitive football but it was still hugely entertaining. Our last 15 trips to London have resulted in 13 defeats and two draws - how can anyone say we are inconsistent ?

Today was our best result of the season to date and a fully deserved win away to a serious title contender. There were some brilliant performances with Bamford back to his best and Dallas, who seldom gets the credit he deserves, outstanding again. Dallas is by some distance the best Irish player in the premiership, and produces top class displays whether he is asked to slot in at left back, right back or like today in central midfield. He also bangs in a few goals along the way and might even end up as player of the season for Leeds.

Leeds are still in a decent position but the last few performances have been ominous. Our central midfield is being taken apart, the wide players have been largely ineffective and today the visiting keeper in a team which had not won for nine games did not have a shot to save. The return of Phillips will be a big help, and hopefully Llorente and Koch will soon be fit enough to give us more options at the back, but with Bamford struggling for form no one else looks like scoring. The state of our pitch is also conspiring against our style of play so a few points on the road might get our momentum going again.

It is reasonable to have a discussion about expanding the GAA to the south and east of Belfast but some of the suggestions on this thread make little sense. The Four Winds area, which is not exactly a GAA heartland, has always been divided between Bredagh and Carryduff, with both benefitting from the arrangement through a nominal border along Newton Park. Attempting to introduce a third club there is not viable at any level, with the proposal that it could be based on Ballymaconaghy Road, which is little more than a couple of fields away from Carryduff's rapidly expanding complex, illustrating the point. Playing Gaelic games at the Hydebank pitches, beside Belvoir estate, is another non-starter, with previous attempts ending badly.  The logical way forward is encouraging the existing growth of Bredagh, Carryduff and St Paul's, with the new East Belfast club filling the gap between them. If East Belfast can find a permanent home, which is not going to be easy, there will be a decent platform for the development of the GAA at the northern end of our county.

It is true that the GAA still has the potential for considerable further development on the southern and eastern side of Belfast, but the massive efforts which have already gone into expanding the Bredagh, Carryduff and St Paul's clubs should also be acknowledged. The new East Belfast club is attracting further significant numbers, many of whom are not from a Catholic background. If figures per parish are going to be compared, it may be worth noting that Lower Mourne does not only include the Ballymartin and Glasdrumman clubs but also Longstone.

We can only wish that Billy's prediction had been on the money. It's all very charging forward at every opportunity but defending like today is in danger of taking us back towards the championship. Quite what was going on in the heads of Klich and Phillips, who have been generally good this season, is hard to say, but it is surprising that they were not replaced until half time. The amazing thing was that we keep creating chances and could easily have scored five or six. Man United, of course, should have been in double figures long before the end. Bielsa does not like making too many changes but, even before injuries are taken into account, there is bound to be a shake up for the Burnley game.

Down failed to score a point from play and were poor from start to finish. Discipline was a big problem, decision making across the pitch was pretty dreadful and there will have to be serious questions asked of the management. It's hard to understand why there was such confidence about our prospects as our underage record has been dire over recent years. Fermanagh were solid rather than brilliant, but that was more than good enough on the day.

Awful first half from Down minor footballers, behind 0-7 to 0-2 in Enniskillen with no scores from play.

Leeds are beyond doubt the great entertainers of the premiership, and, allowing for the usual defensive frailties, tonight was another thriller. With five different players scoring, including two goal of the season contenders, it was a brilliant game from start to finish. Hernandez only came on with five minutes to go and still managed two assists. Ending a disappointing run was essential but you never really know what is going to happen next with this team. Onward to Old Trafford, which is equally unlikely to be dull.