Turns out all Leeds needed was a winter break.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side suffered a nightmare before Christmas, shipping in 14 goals in three straight defeats.
But after enjoying an unscheduled fortnight off thanks to two postponements, the Whites got their new year off to a dream start against Burnley – easing fears their 2022 could end in the Championship.
Jack Harrison gave Leeds a first-half lead, which was cancelled out by Clarets substitute Maxwell Cornet’s stunning free-kick after the break.
However, Stuart Dallas marked his 250th appearance for the club with a brilliant 20-yard strike before sub Daniel James secured a fourth win of the season for the Whites in the 93rd minute.
Leeds’ win moved them eight points clear of the drop zone and kept their opponents firmly rooted there.
This was a disastrous result for Sean Dyche’s men, who have mustered only one win all season and now look stuck in a four-way battle to climb out of the bottom three places.
Dyche could have no complaint about the result, with Leeds looking a completely different team from the one which was thrashed 7-0 by Manchester City and hammered 4-1 at home by Arsenal.
No doubt they have been helped by having two weeks off, with their last two planned games – against Liverpool and Aston Villa – postponed because of Covid and injury issues.
In Leeds’ last match against Arsenal they had 10 players unavailable but here against Burnley that number was reduced to a mere seven, with Junior Firpo and Diego Llorente returning to a more familiar-looking backline.
The hosts’ only outfield ever-present this term has been Dallas and he had the first shot on target here, cutting in from the left and striking at Wayne Hennessey.
Moments later, the Burnley keeper – standing in for Covid-stricken Nick Pope – was almost caught out as Raphinha attempted an audacious lob from just past the halfway line, which brushed Hennessey’s crossbar.
Raphinha has been by far Leeds’ standout player this season, scoring or providing exactly half of their 18 Premier League goals.
And the in-demand Brazilian was again at the heart of things here, crossing for Firpo, whose ambitious flick required Hennessey to get down low to his left to save.
Having made next to no impression in the first half-an-hour, Burnley actually came close to nicking an opener when Charlie Taylor crossed for ex-Leeds striker Chris Wood, whose point-blank volley was brilliant kept out by Illan Meslier with his foot.
But normal service soon resumed. First, Tyler Roberts should have scored when he peeled off James Tarkowski to get on the end of Luke Ayling’s cross, only to plant his free header wide of the far post.
Then Leeds finally got their deserved opener six minutes before the interval after an inexplicable error from Tarkowski.
Tasked with dealing with Llorente’s long ball, the centre-half’s lazy attempted pass to Matt Lowton hit the pressing Harrison, who carried the ball into the Burnley box.
Harrison’s quick feet then bamboozled Tarkowski as he created space to shoot from an acute angle.
And while his initial left-footed effort was beaten away by Hennessey, he was first to react to the rebound, steering the ball back towards goal with his right foot and this time beating the off-balance Clarets stopper.
It was Harrison’s first league goal since making his loan move from Manchester City permanent last summer and relief was etched all over his face as Elland Road erupted.
Soon after, the winger linked up with Roberts to play in Firpo, who shot over, before Roberts himself fired at Hennessey with another attempt at the end of a busy first half, with Wood also firing over for Burnley.
Dyche knew he needed to find some spark from somewhere and brought on summer signing Cornet at half-time for his first appearance in a month following a thigh injury.
The Clarets’ top scorer made an instant impression. Just nine minutes into the second half, Cornet won a free-kick after being hauled down by Llorente. And he then stepped up to sweep in the setpiece from all of 30 yards, his pace and precision leaving the diving Meslier helpless.
Cornet soured his stunning goal slightly by inciting the home crowd with his celebration, but that did not excuse the half-full Coke bottle which was thrown from the stands and struck Lowton, who required medical attention.
This time, Bielsa was the manager to act, bringing on 19-year-old livewire striker Joe Gelhardt for Roberts and James for Harriston, with the double substitution changing momentum of the match.
It was James who created a golden chance for Leeds to retake the lead, as his cross found Raphinha free at the back post, only for him to smash into the side netting with the goal gaping.
Bielsa’s men, though, did score a second soon after. With 13 minute to go, Mateusz Klich and Raphinha worked a short corner to Dallas on the edge of the ‘D’ and the Northern Irishman superbly swept in first time with his left foot.
Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, James eased any nerves around Elland Road as he headed in Gelhardt’s cross.