Daniel Farke said keeping Leeds in the Premier League was a career highlight after his side beat Brighton 1-0 in their final home game of the season.
Leeds’ survival was confirmed before last week’s 1-1 draw at Tottenham and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s stoppage-time winner at Elland Road extended their unbeaten league run to eight matches and lifted them up to 13th in the table.
Farke’s players completed a lap of honour after the final whistle, while the German head coach was also given a rousing reception as he addressed the fans.
When asked where the moment ranked in his managerial career, he said: “Very high, because if it would be easier if, in the last 25 years, several other managers would have done this as well.
“Just Marcelo (Bielsa) was able to bring this club to the Premier League and to play a fantastic first season after promotion, and that says a lot.
“To bring such a massive club out of a really desperate situation right now into a position where we are fully allowed to label ourselves a proper club, even on top-flight level, feels very, very special. It ranks really, really high.”
Leeds failed to have an effort on target until Calvert-Lewin’s last-gasp winner and soaked up long spells of pressure.
Calvert-Lewin snatched victory for his side by pouncing on Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke’s under-hit back-pass to turn the ball home in the sixth minute of added time.
“We defended our goal really well,” Farke said. “Of course Brighton, especially in the second half, were the more dominant side, but we also wanted to stay in the game and never stopped believing that there would be this one chance.
“And then also with such a composed finish from Dominic, it feels massive.
“I’m just happy that we are able to spoil our supporters and find the home game also with another clean sheet win and they can celebrate this season with a perfect fitting, finishing in style.”
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler felt his side did enough to warrant all three points and called for calm heads from his “leaders” as his side’s hopes of European football now rest on the final game of the season.
The Seagulls sit seventh, two points behind sixth-placed Bournemouth, who have a game in hand, and one ahead of Brentford, who are eighth, before the Seagulls’ home match against Manchester United next Sunday.
Hurzeler said: “We made a good game, particularly second half, we controlled the game, we created plenty of chances, so we also see the positives in this bad result today, in this bad finish.
“That’s now my responsibility as the head coach, to be responsible for that, to stay positive, to keep having the belief, and that’s what I need from my leaders, that’s what we need from everyone, and then we can bounce back.”
Hurzeler stood by Van Hecke for his costly late mistake, adding: “Football is a game of errors. We did one one error, we got punished for that.
“So we have to accept it, we have to go on. We have to analyse it, prepare well for the last game and then we go all in.”
