Fifty-two hours after the final whistle blew against Burnley at Elland Road, Leeds United kicked off against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns.
It was far from ideal preparation for what could have ended up being two relegation six-pointers. Had Burnley stolen all three points on December 27th, Leeds would have been dragged into the mire of a relegation scrap, and the Clarets who had started the season so poorly, would have been within one point of Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds.
That was not to be the case, as Leeds ran out 1-0 winners, stretching the gap to seven points between themselves and the men from Turf Moor.
Although, the team did appear leggy in the second half, and that did cause some mild concern ahead of the visit to the Hawthorns just two days later.
As it turned out, there was nothing to be worried about.
According to Opta, Leeds ran 119.14 kilometres at the Hawthorns, the highest Premier League stadium above sea level, just 52 hours after a gruelling one-niller against Burnley, with an unchanged team.
For all the discussion surrounding Leeds' fitness being superior than the rest of the league, here it is definitively in black and white, plain as day.
West Brom looked off the pace, second to every loose ball and could not deal with Leeds' intensity. Their pressing was uncoordinated and by the 30-minute mark, plenty of the Baggies' players were flagging.
That was partly due to the fact that Leeds' attacking sequences were so effortlessly fluid. Rodrigo's class on the ball allowed him to open his body into space every time he received possession, while Raphinha and Jack Harrison on the wings buzzed like livewires.
If Manchester United's last-gasp 1-0 win against Wolves courtesy of a deflected Marcus Rashford winner was a Christmas gift which had been left unopened, box rattled but discarded under the sofa until the late afternoon, Leeds' 5-0 demolition was one which had seen the wrapping paper torn off like a wild chimpanzee before the sun had the chance to rise.
Leeds' total distance ran surpassed West Brom's by almost seven kilometres, one of the largest deficits so far this season. It now extends their dominance in the running stakes over 16 Premier League opponents in a row, just three short of completing the set.
To have outrun every team they have faced so far is the biggest endorsement of Marcelo Bielsa's training regime yet. Even with the ball at their feet 55-60% of the time in most games, Leeds' players are running and running.
A method which produces results in 16 consecutive top flight fixtures, that's a fairly pragmatic way of playing.
