Leeds United were never out of form and look unlikely to lose their grip on automatic promotion now, according to Reading boss Mark Bowen.
The Royals boss faced the media on Saturday afternoon after watching his side go down 1-0 at Elland Road to a Pablo Hernandez strike.
The Whites won twice in 11 league matches between mid-December and mid-February, but never dropped out of the top two and never looked out of form, says Bowen.
Unbeaten in three and with only two losses in their last six, there are signs of a revival from United, who went five points clear of third-placed Fulham with yesterday’s win.
Asked if the top two would remain as they are, Bowen said: “It looks that way. They’ve always looked strong for me.
“I looked at a lot of their stats coming into this game and the stats Leeds produce week in, week out in terms of penalty-area entries, corners and possession, 70 per cent.
“Even the games they were losing and dropping points, were possibly a goalie’s mistake here with a bit of bad luck there.
“I don’t watch them every week, but I didn’t see them as a team that was out of form in any way.
“They seem to be like a well-oiled machine to me. We came here today with a gameplan and we’re gutted, really, to be going back down the road without anything.”
