Ipswich promoted to Premier League as Birmingham suffer relegation heartbreak on final day
IPSWICH RETURNS TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2002.
Ipswich secured their promotion to the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over relegated Huddersfield on the lastday of the Championship.
Kieran McKenna’s squad has achieved stunning back-to-back promotions and will return to English football’s top tier for the first time since 2002.
Leeds United, currently in third position, will need to go through the play-offs to return to the Premier League after losing to Southampton at home.
Leeds will face Norwich in the semi-finals, while Southampton will play West Brom.
On the final day of the season, Birmingham and Huddersfield were relegated to League One. Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday, and Blackburn all won, sending the Blues to the third tier for the first time since 1995.
Ipswich secured the second promotion position.
Ipswich simply needed a point on the last day to secure promotion, and they were barely bothered by Huddersfield. Wes Burns began the scoring in the first half, and Omari Hutchinson extended the Tractor Boys’ lead after the break. At full-time, jubilant Ipswich fans rushed onto the ground to celebrate.
Leeds’ slim prospect of automatic promotion evaporated following Adam Armstrong’s opener for the Saints. Joel Piroe promptly equalised at Elland Road, but Will Smallbone restored the visitors’ lead.
Playoff lineup confirmed.
West Brom earned their play-off berth with a simple 3-0 victory over Preston, their first win in five games. They will meet fourth-placed Southampton in the semi-finals.
Leeds finished third after losing to Southampton, and Daniel Farke’s team will face Norwich in the other semi-final.
Hull needed three points and West Brom’s defeat to secure a final-day play-off position. The Tigers lost at home to relegation-battling Plymouth, finishing sixth.
Birmingham and Huddersfield tumble into League One.
Rotherham has been relegated to League One, along with Birmingham and Huddersfield.
Birmingham have had a terrible season since the resignation of John Eustace and the appointment of Wayne Rooney, winning only three of their last 14 games. Plymouth’s win at Hull, Blackburn’s victory at champions Leicester, and Sheffield Wednesday’s win at Sunderland all sealed the Blues’ relegation.
Defender Seung-ho Paik scored his first goal for the Blues against Norwich at St Andrew’s, giving them optimism, but Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics netted his 26th and 27th goals of the season to ensure Blackburn’s survival. Plymouth hung on to their 1-0 advantage at Hull to ensure their survival.
Huddersfield have slipped to the third tier after losing to promoted Ipswich. The Terriers needed an unexpected win to overcome a 15-goal deficit against Plymouth. With neither of those outcomes in their advantage, Andre Breitenreiter’s side will play in League One next season.
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