Sheffield United have sealed promotion back to the Premier League as they bounced back from their FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City in memorable fashion.
The Blades - beaten play-off semi-finalists last term - will play top-flight football again next season following only a two-year absence after a 2-0 victory over West Brom at Bramall Lane saw them take an unassailable lead in the race for the Championship’s second automatic promotion slot.
Second-half goals from Sander Berge and Anel Ahmedhodzic clinched a third straight league win for Paul Heckingbottom’s side, who now sit seven points clear of third-placed Luton, who have just two matches left to play in 2022-23.
Vincent Kompany’s dominant Burnley team had already wrapped up the title in fairytale fashion by winning away at local rivals Blackburn on Tuesday night.
"I said to the players before the game we got so close to promotion last season,” said Heckingbottom, appointed as the successor to the sacked Slavisa Jokanovic in November 2021.
“We've got to enjoy this, you enjoy every win and when it's a win as special and significant as this, we are going to have a good time.
"I thought in the second half we were much better, we stepped on to them a lot more and we changed the midfield around slightly, we went to a three-man midfield.
"West Brom are very well organised and if we didn't get through them in the first two or three passes, they had two banks of four and were difficult to break down and were breaking on us. So we had to work hard but we've had that in every game.
"I think you have to be motivated by winning; you've got to take the risks. You may end up failing or doing things that cost you your job but you've got to go for it.
"I don't think it will sink in for a while but I'm just determined to enjoy tonight and make sure everyone else enjoys tonight. It's a shame we've got three more games left!"
