Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford scored early in both halves to win the game for Leeds against Crystal Palace on Monday night and the three points moved them up to tenth in the league table.
Leeds came into their first season back in the Premier League after 16 years with the goal of making sure that they manage to survive in the top tier of English football for more than a year initially.
Their performance in the first two-thirds of the season has exceeded expectations and now they have legitimate claims to finish in the top half of the Premier League table.
Hasselbaink stressed at the start of the season he believed staying in the Premier League should be the sole ambition as very few in the Leeds squad had experience of playing in English football’s top tier.
But at the moment he believes Leeds should keep going as they have the momentum and finishing in the top half would be a massive achievement for them.
The former White said on Premier League TV after the Crystal Palace game: “I was always saying after their promotion that the most important thing is that they stay in the Premier League.
“Obviously, they have spent a lot of money, but they have spent money on players who don’t really know the Premier League and the core that they have, nobody has played in the Premier League, [barring] only Bamford and he really didn’t do it in the Premier League.
“For me, when they got the promotion, the most important thing was to stay in the Premier League, but now they are tenth.
“They are on a run, keep on going, keep that momentum going and try to get as high as you can.
“It will be a great achievement for the club if they can stay in that top half of the table and compete.
“They are doing absolutely magnificent.”
Leeds have a game in hand over Arsenal, who are sitting just behind the Whites in 11th in the standings, and the two will face each other next Sunday.
