Tommy Watson has just fired Sunderland to the Premier League, and he already has one thing on his mind ahead of next season.
The Championship play-off final at Wembley served up some incredible drama. Sheffield United dominated most of the first half, and when Tyrese Campbell gave his side the lead, Kevin Campbell would have been looking down with pride.
Chris Wilder’s men had control for the majority of the game as Sunderland looked shell-shocked on the big stage. But some incredible second-half substitutions from Regis Le Bris completely turned the game on its head.
Patrick Roberts came off the bench to produce a sublime pass to Eliezer Mayenda, who rifled his opportunity past Michael Cooper, before Tommy Watson scored the winner.
Watson will join Brighton for £10 million in the summer, but he’s just delivered the greatest parting gift to the fans as Sunderland returned to the Premier League.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Tommy Watson’s reaction after firing Sunderland into the Premier League
Sunderland fans haven’t been too pleased with Watson in recent months, as the 19-year-old produced some horrendous performances towards the back end of the season.
But in typical fashion, it was the Englishman who popped up with the match-winning moment to send his side into the top-flight, sweeping the ball past Cooper.
Speaking at full-time, Watson claimed his ‘story was written’ after coming off the bench and mentioned how he’ll come against the Black Cats in the Premier League in 2025/26.
“I think my celebration says it all. Just look around, it’s unbelievable. We’ll see each other in the Premier League next year,” Watson told Sky Sports.
“I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. My story was written when I came off the bench. I couldn’t have pictured it any better.”
How much is Sunderland’s victory in the Championship play-off final worth?
It was a surprise to everyone when Sunderland mounted a comeback against Sheffield United after looking off the pace for most of the game.
But they possessed the individual class, spearheaded by two youngsters, to complete a memorable day for supporters.
Watson’s fine finish late on is therefore worth a whopping £240 million to Sunderland, who will begin to plan for their return to the top-flight after celebrating for the next few weeks.