They had won fourteen of their first eighteen matches and held what appeared an unassailable lead.
However, come late February and the league landscape is now very different, doubts and distractions causing Leeds to relinquish that lead to Norwich City and allow the chasing peloton to close in behind.
Lee Clark's men are among that pack and they welcomed their local rivals in fine form, holding a proud unbeaten home record and a ten-match unbeaten league run.
From the start Huddersfield held the upper hand and they deservedly took a 1-0 lead into the break through a 12th minute strike from Anthony Pilkington.
Leeds suddenly found their feet after the restart and within a five-minute spell had turned the match around with headers from Jonny Howson and Luciano Becchio in the 61st and 66th minutes.
With five minutes remaining it seemed the three points were heading to Elland Road, but after intense Huddersfield pressure Gary Roberts stole in at the far post to level.
It seemed at one stage Leeds would cruise to the League One title, now manager Simon Grayson's sole aim is to secure the points necessary to escape the division automatically: "We wanted to make sure we didn't lose the game.
"It's another point to our campaign, it's another game gone by for teams who are trying to catch us.
We've just got to keep focused on what we're trying to achieve now." Huddersfield manager Lee Clark was left disappointed: "I think the least we deserved was the result we got.
"But for an unbelievable reaction save from Ankergren we could have won it, but it wasn't to be."