Sunderland Clinch Premier League Promotion With Dramatic Last-Minute Goal

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Last Updated:May 24, 2025, 22:31 IST

Sunderland secured Premier League promotion aft 8 years with a melodramatic 2-1 triumph implicit Sheffield United successful the Championship play-off final.

Sunderland observe their Premier League promotion. (PC: AFP)

Sunderland secured promotion to the Premier League aft an eight-year absence, acknowledgment to Tommy Watson’s melodramatic stoppage-time extremity that clinched a 2-1 triumph implicit Sheffield United successful the Championship play-off last connected Saturday.

Regis Le Bris’ squad had trailed to Tyrese Campbell’s first-half extremity astatine Wembley, but Eliezer Mayenda equalized precocious successful the game, mounting the signifier for Watson’s important winner.

This unexpected crook successful the richest lucifer successful satellite shot saw Sunderland retrieve from a dilatory commencement to execute a promotion valued astatine an estimated £200 cardinal ($270 million) successful accrued revenue.

Watson’s decisive infinitesimal means Sunderland fans tin look guardant to renewing their rivalry with Newcastle adjacent season.

Sunderland’s instrumentality to the Premier League for the archetypal clip since 2017 marks the extremity of a challenging play that included 4 seasons successful the 3rd tier.

Despite suffering 5 consecutive defeats anterior to the play-offs, the Black Cats showed resilience to gain promotion successful a singular manner.

In the semi-final 2nd limb against Coventry, Dan Ballard’s last-minute extra-time header secured a 3-2 aggregate victory, conscionable arsenic a punishment shoot-out loomed.

With lone 14 minutes remaining astatine Wembley, Sunderland appeared down and retired earlier their stunning comeback.

Le Bris, a 49-year-old Frenchman, has overseen an awesome turnaround since joining Sunderland past twelvemonth aft being relegated from Ligue 1 with Lorient.

Meanwhile, United proceed their winless streak astatine Wembley, spanning 100 years, with 4 Championship last defeats among 10 failed play-off attempts.

United, who finished 3rd successful the table, 14 points up of fourth-placed Sunderland, saw that vantage rendered meaningless.

Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson made a superb prevention successful the 2nd minute, diving to his near to claw Kieffer Moore’s header disconnected the line, evoking memories of Jim Montgomery’s celebrated prevention successful the 1973 FA Cup last against Leeds.

Sunderland skipper Luke O’Nien suffered a dislocated enarthrosis portion trying to halt Moore’s header, forcing him disconnected successful pain.

United deservedly took the pb successful the 25th infinitesimal erstwhile Ben Hamer’s perfectly weighted walk recovered Campbell, who calmly finished implicit Patterson from 12 yards.

This extremity held other value for the 25-year-old, approaching the archetypal day of his begetter Kevin Campbell’s death, the erstwhile Arsenal and Everton striker.

Harrison Burrows astir doubled United’s pb 9 minutes later, but his extremity was disallowed for offside against Vini Souza aft a VAR check.

Andre Brooks, a United substitute, broke done connected extremity aft the interval, but Patterson made a superb prevention with his foot.

This miss proved costly, arsenic Mayenda equalized for Sunderland with their 2nd changeable connected people successful the 76th minute.

Patrick Roberts’ precise walk recovered Mayenda wrong the area, and helium capitalized connected United’s mediocre marking with a almighty decorativeness into the extortion of the net.

O’Nien, with his enarthrosis successful a sling, ran disconnected the seat to observe with Mayenda, waving his bully limb successful jubilation.

The country was a prelude to the ecstatic celebrations sparked by Watson’s extremity 5 minutes into stoppage time.

Pouncing connected Moore’s escaped pass, Watson drove to the borderline of the United country and curled a debased changeable into the bottommost country past Michael Cooper’s dilatory dive.

Watson, acceptable to articulation Brighton successful the adjacent season, provided the cleanable parting acquisition by ensuring Sunderland volition articulation him among English football’s elite.

(With AFP Inputs)

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