Leeds United made the most of Sheffield United's slip-up at home to Burnley on Boxing Day, recording a 2-0 win away to struggling Stoke City to go top of the Championship.

Top-scorer Joel Piroe netted a double either side of half-time as the Whites completely overwhelmed the Potters. Victory extended United's unbeaten run to five matches.

Manager Daniel Farke said: “We can celebrate that we’re not just in the top two, but at the top of the table. The feeling is even better right now. I’m pretty happy with this, pretty happy with what the lads are doing at the moment.

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“Our spirit, our unity, our togetherness – you could literally feel it on the pitch, after the game and in the dressing room. But it’s just half-time at the moment and we have to keep going.”

Here is what the national media made of the Whites' penultimate fixture of 2024.

Nancy Froston - The Athletic

There are few players as calm as Leeds United's Joel Piroe. The Dutch striker is so relaxed that, at times, it is easy to wonder if he is awake, or if anything at all could get him riled. It is a good quality for a forward faced with the pressures of being the leading scorer at a promotion-chasing side.

The 25-year-old has faced competition from Mateo Joseph this season, as well as a failed experiment as a No 10, but is showing he is Leeds’ best striker as the campaign reaches its halfway mark. Piroe’s first double this season in the 2-0 win away to Stoke City ended a poor run of results on the road for Daniel Farke’s side and took Piroe’s tally to nine, three clear of Leeds’ second-highest scorer, Brenden Aaronson.

Two clinical finishes secured the points — the first showing Piroe’s potential for brilliance and the second his reliability to take simple chances — and returned his team to the top of the Championship after Burnley had won away against Sheffield United.

Piroe’s place as the focal point of the attack in Farke’s system remains debated by Leeds fans, particularly during the five-game goalless run he ended at Stoke, but his composure sets him apart. Joseph has potential and offers plenty with his all-round play, particularly with his energy in pressing and ability to bring other creative players into the game — but with two league goals from an expected goals tally of 3.7, the numbers suggest he is yet to become as clinical.

Ged Scott - BBC Sport

Joel Piroe scored a goal in each half as Leeds United went top of the Championship, while stretching Stoke City's winless run to nine matches.

The Dutch striker took his season's tally to nine goals as Leeds won away from home for only the second time in eight games to fully cash in on morning leaders Sheffield United's home slip-up against Burnley.

On a depressingly cold night of freezing fog in the Potteries, Stoke's limp performance just added to the chill as far as the home fans are concerned.

Narcis Pelach's Potters now sit just three points clear of the relegation zone, having won just three times in 18 games since the Spaniard came in as the surprise successor to the sacked Steven Schumacher in mid-September.

Even in the freezing fog which made for such difficult viewing almost throughout from the four stands, it was clear to see that Leeds were the most likely winners right from the first whistle.

Ron Walker - Sky Sports

Leeds United came out of the Staffordshire fog to move top of the Championship as Joel Piroe's goals in each half gave them a 2-0 win at Stoke.

The heavy fog around the bet365 Stadium, which at points looked like it may threaten the match, proved Leeds' biggest foe in their ascent back to the division summit, as they made light work of a poor Stoke side who are now without a win in nine games.

Piroe gave Leeds a deserved lead three minutes before the break, thanks to a fortunate bundle past Victor Johansson - before producing a finish of pure quality to score from an unlikely angle.

There were no more worries about his second, nodding home a back-post header after Dan James had stood up a cross from the byline.

Ashley Phillips' missed header from an inviting Eric Bocat cross, just before Piroe completed his double, was Stoke's one opportunity of note as they were again booed off by the home support, who have not seen their side win a match since November 6.