For a long period it did not look like Leeds would find the winner their overall performance deserved. Chances came and went as composure was absent at Elland Road until Pascal Struijk steered home a well-worked corner to set his side on the way to inflict a first league defeat of the season on Sheffield United.

Prior to Struijk’s strike Leeds had dominated but were naive in the final third as they struggled to break down a defence that had not conceded in 11 hours of football. When they did it felt worth the wait and eventually Mateo Joseph came off the bench to confirm second place for one night at least.

Sheffield United’s manager, Chris Wilder, believes Leeds will win the league, reaffirmed by the result on Friday. “Chris is a top manager and a very experienced guy,” Daniel Farke said. “If he sets this aside, then you can definitely take it as a compliment. I’d rather take this in comparison to his criticism on our squad. But sadly, it’s not a guarantee that we right now can rest there. If we stop right now winning points and winning games, we won’t make it to the top half of this table. We’re in a good place, we know this. We’re in good shape, we need to deliver really good performances.”

Struijk had spent the majority of the night in front of a raucous home crowd keeping the Sheffield United forwards quiet as the visitors failed to get a single shot on target in the match against Illan Meslier, who might have been quite nervous after gifting a last-minute equaliser to Sunderland before the international break. It was not an occasion for connoisseurs of clinical finishing, as those of both sides were more likely to test the reactions of the fans behind the goal than the goalkeepers.

It was an emotional night for Sheffield United as both sets of fans remembered the former Blades defender George Baldock before kick-off after his death last week aged 31 in Greece. The minute’s silence turned into an applause, while the away end chanted the name of the full-back who served them for seven years and appeared 219 times.

Wilder urged his players to channel their emotion into the match and Sheffield United started better in the opening 20 minutes but Leeds soon grew into the match. The hosts dominated possession but it took until a quarter of the match had passed for anyone to have a meaningful effort on goal when Largie Ramazani hit a post from a tight angle.

Despite having the majority of the ball, Leeds were struggling to find a way through a Sheffield United defence that had kept six consecutive clean sheets. On paper Leeds have some of the most attacking players in the division but in the crucial moments their quality was lacking.

When Joe Rothwell stepped up to take a 69th-minute corner, expectations that it would lead to a goal might have been low but the Leeds captain, Struijk, had other ideas, succeeding where his striking colleagues had failed. The centre-back made a smart move at the front post to ensure he met the ball first and did superbly well to control his shot that leapt into the top corner and caused an eruption inside Elland Road.

“I was a bit concerned because we missed a few good situations in the first half but we were relentless today and we were on it and wanted to go,” Farke said. “To score the first goal is always – on this level when two top sides playing against each other – crucial.”

Sheffield United had looked short of energy long before the first goal went in and never gave the impression they could get back into the match. All the momentum was with Leeds who eventually sealed victory in the 90th minute when the substitute Mateo Joseph latched on to a smart through ball from Joël Piroe and beat Michael Cooper.

“We were beaten by the better side, we didn’t deserve to win the game,” Wilder said. “They found the energy from a passionate home support. It was a tough experience for us all but we have got to take it on the chin. They were better in all departments.”

It was just the performance Leeds needed after two dispiriting draws. Moving into the automatic promotion positions is a huge boost, especially by beating a rival in the race for the Premier League. Leeds have put down a marker but to build on it, they need to take their chances more often.