Leeds United's Largie Ramazani reacts to Hull City debutant helping down Sheffield United | OneFootball

Eliot Matazo made his debut for the Tigers in their 3-0 success against Sheffield United

Leeds United forward Largie Ramazani was among those to congratulate central midfielder Eliot Matazo on his Hull City debut against Sheffield United on Friday night.

Despite coming into the contest inside the relegation zone, the Tigers put in what Ruben Selles described as a "statement performance" to stun the Blades, running out 3-0 victors at Bramall Lane courtesy of Matt Crooks, Matty Jacob and a Harrison Burrows own goal with two minutes of normal time remaining.

United came into the encounter on Friday night knowing that a victory would take them above Leeds for 72 hours at least, as Daniel Farke's side are also in action in front of the Sky Sports cameras against Burnley, with a mouth-watering encounter expected between the two promotion hopefuls at Turf Moor.

However, Chris Wilder's men were unable to grasp the opportunity, giving the Whites even further incentive to extend their lead at the top of the Championship on Monday night, with Ramazani sending a congratulatory message to his compatriot, who began his Hull career with a solid 35-minute cameo.

Eliot Matazo takes to Instagram following his Hull City debut

It had been reported earlier in the week that the Tigers had agreed a £3m fee with AS Monaco to sign the 22-year-old Belgian midfielder, as he watched from the stands alongside owner, Acun Ilicali, and fellow new recruit, Lincoln Henrique, as Hull were defeated 2-1 by QPR at the MKM Stadium last Tuesday.

However, the combative performer, who made three of his 84 appearances for the French side in this season's UEFA Champions League against the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona, was thrown straight into Selles' matchday squad in S2 as a substitute, despite confirmation of a three-and-a-half year deal only coming through approximately two hours before kick-off.

Matazo replaced the aforementioned Crooks on 55 minutes during a period where Hull had to withstand a barrage of pressure from their promotion-chasing hosts, with Jacob doubling the advantage eight minutes later, whilst Burrows' own goal added further gloss on the scoreboard after neat work from Joao Pedro.

Post-match, the former Belgian youth captain took to Instagram to express his delight on a dream debut for the East Yorkshire side.

"What a way to start this new journey ! Massive 3 points, let’s aim for more of this. 🧡🐯 #Mtz," he said.

Among the City supporters in the comments were Leeds' four-goal man Ramazani, who replied with "Player 🫵🏾," whilst Manchester City ace Jeremy Doku and his former Monaco team-mate and Switzerland international, Breel Embolo also posted messages of support.

Hull City's victory at Bramall Lane was huge at both ends of the Championship table

As well as sending out a statement in their fight to avoid the drop, City's first league win at Bramall Lane since December 2010 had huge ramifications at both ends of the division.

A third successive away victory and clean sheet for the Tigers saw them climb as high as 18th with 29 points to their name, ahead of what is a huge Saturday schedule as far as the bottom quarter of the table is concerned, with Luton Town hosting Millwall and Cardiff City welcoming Derby County to South Wales.

Meanwhile, the Blades were unable to complete a double over their Yorkshire rivals and return to the summit for a three-day period, which means Sunderland can narrow the gap between themselves and the top two to just one point with victory against bottom side Plymouth Argyle at the Stadium of Light.

All eyes will then turn to East Lancashire on Monday night, as Burnley could overtake United and draw level on points with Leeds with a victory on home turf, or Farke's side could open up a four point gap at the top of the table with a fifth win in eight league games.

Hull's next encounter is at home to Stoke City in yet another pivotal encounter at the bottom end of the table, whilst Sheffield United travel to Pride Park looking to make a quick return to winning ways.