Ipswich have sealed promotion to the Premier League at an ecstatic Portman Road after a dominant 2-0 win against relegated Huddersfield on the Championship’s dramatic final day.
Kieran McKenna’s side have secured remarkable back-to-back promotions and will return to the top division of English football for the first time since 2002.
Third-placed Leeds will have to face the play-offs if they are to achieve an immediate return to the Premier League themselves after suffering a disappointing home defeat by fellow promotion hopefuls Southampton.
Leeds will face Norwich in the semi-finals, while Southampton are set to meet West Brom.
At the other end of the table on the final day, Birmingham and Huddersfield have both been relegated to League One. Victories for Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn meant the Blues dropped into the third tier for the first time since 1995.
Ipswich seal second promotion spot
Ipswich only needed a point on the final day to guarantee promotion and they were hardly troubled by Huddersfield.
Wes Burns opened the scoring in the first half before Omari Hutchinson doubled the Tractor Boys’ lead after the break. Jubilant Ipswich fans streamed onto the pitch in celebration at full-time.
Leeds’ outside chance of automatic promotion crumbled away after Adam Armstrong’s opener for the Saints. Joel Piroe quickly equalised before Will Smallbone put the visitors back in control at Elland Road.
Play-off lineup confirmed
West Brom secured their play-off spot by picking up a routine 3-0 win, their first victory in five, against Preston. They will face fourth-place Southampton in the semi-finals.
Leeds finished third after losing to the Saints, and Daniel Farke’s side will now come up against Norwich in the other semi-final.
Hull needed three points and West Brom to lose to pinch a final day play-off spot. The Tigers succumbed to a home loss to relegation-battling Plymouth, meaning they finished the season in seventh.
Birmingham and Huddersfield drop
Bottom side Rotherham’s relegation was confirmed in early April and they will be joined by Birmingham and Huddersfield in League One next season.
Birmingham have had an awful season following the sacking of John Eustace and short-lived appointment of Wayne Rooney, and only won three of their last 14 games.
Plymouth’s win at Hull and Blackburn’s victory at champions Leicester, as well as Sheffield Wednesday winning at Sunderland, confirmed the Blues’ relegation.
Defender Seung-ho Paik scored his first goal for the Blues against Norwich at St Andrew’s to give them hope, but Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics fired in his 26th and 27th goals of the season to secure Blackburn’s safety. Plymouth held on to their 1-0 lead at Hull to confirm their own safety.
Huddersfield have dropped into the third tier after losing to promoted Ipswich. The Terriers needed an unlikely win, as well overturning a 15-goal deficit to Plymouth.
With neither of those results in their favour, Andre Breitenreiter’s men will be competing in League One next season.
