At a lucky fourth attempt, Wembley is no longer a place of fear and fright for Sunderland, as the Black Cats were promoted to the second tier.
Ending the club's four-year relationship with League One, boss Alex Neil has helped revitalise fortunes, as Wycombe Wanderers were put to the sword.
Goals from both Elliot Embleton and Ross Stewart helped the side on their way, in front of a rapturous 46,000 strong following.
READ MORE: Out-of-contract Aiden McGeady admits he has probably played his last Sunderland game
Following the almighty triumph, here's how sections of the national media reacted to Sunderland's win...
The Guardian
Alex Neil walked into his post-match press conference cradling a can of Budweiser and he will not be the only one of a Sunderland persuasion to enjoy the next few days. If London did not already know it, Sunderland are in town and back in the Championship after four long years away.
On Friday night, thousands of supporters, as they have done previously, took over Trafalgar Square, where they were joined by their owner, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, and on Saturday afternoon more than 46,000 painted more than half of this arena in red and white, bobbing as they waved flags, almost all bedecked in club colours, to crank up the volume as Sunderland made it over the line.
Then came a rendition of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love, the club’s unofficial anthem. Saturday night? Many will still be paying for that on Sunday morning.
The Telegraph
"Wise men say, only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you…. Sunderland, Sunderland.” Elvis Presley may have sung it better but Sunderland fans have always sung it louder and prouder.
They were singing it on the trains and coaches down to London. They were signing it on the tube to Wembley Park and they were singing it as they walked into the stadium.
But it was the rendition after the final whistle had blown that sent a tingle up the spine. A love song worth singing again at last.
Finally it is over. After four long years in League One, Sunderland have been promoted and the joy and noise, the power of the celebrations, will live with every single one of the 45,000 plus fans who made the trip to witness it.
The Daily Mail
After four torturous years in England’s third tier during which Sunderland have continually redefined the club’s lowest ebb, here was the day when the pain made way for pride and, finally, promotion.
With it, the burial of a jinx that meant any supporter yet to celebrate their 50th birthday had never witnessed their team win at Wembley, at least in person. Last year’s Football League Trophy victory - to end a run of eight straight defeats here - was behind closed doors, a surreal and soulless occasion.
Not this time. There were 46,000 present to testify that this was real, and their flares turned the air red after goals in each half from Elliot Embleton and Ross Stewart. In the past, those same fans would have been turning the Wembley air blue.
The Independent
Sunderland are back in the Championship after four seasons away after they beat Wycombe 2-0 in the League One play-off final at Wembley.
The Black Cats finally won a play-off campaign at the seventh time of asking thanks to goals in either half from Elliot Embleton and Ross Stewart, meaning they join Wigan and Rotherham in winning promotion to the second tier.
They deserve this Wembley success as they were the form team at the back end of the regular campaign, last suffering defeat in February, and it justifies the decision to sack Lee Johnson in January and replace him with former Preston boss Alex Neil.
Neil will be a good fit for the Wearsiders in the Championship and, after several years in the wilderness, they will be welcoming the prospect of challenging to get back into the Premier League.
The Times
Plenty of the 46,000 fans at Wembley were old enough to remember Sunderland’s six previous play-off failures over the past 35 years, so they might have expected another rollercoaster ride at Wembley. As it was, they banished their curse and secured promotion to the Championship with ease — a victory secured by goals from the local boy, Elliot Embleton, and Ross Stewart barely reflecting their dominance.
Alex Neil’s side held their nerve and were too strong for Wycombe Wanderers as they ended a four-year spell in the third tier. A club that had become something of a laughing stock in the eyes of rival fans put smiles on the faces of their own supporters with a brilliant finish to the season.
