Sunderland are back in the Premier League after a dramatic play-off final win against Sheffield United. Please, please, please don’t be completely s**t, lads.
Yep, promoted teams have had a rough ride in the Premier League lately. Southampton nearly set an unwanted record this season, and despite big spending, clubs like Luton, Burnley and Ipswich couldn’t survive.
That creates a sense of inevitability among football fans when analysing the survival chances of Sheffield United and Sunderland, ahead of this season’s Championship play-off final.
The Blades, hilariously, are somehow the more Premier League-ready side – even after going down with 16 points and 104 goals conceded just last season.
They finished the Championship campaign comfortably third with 90 points – 10 behind Burnley and Leeds United, and 22 clear of play-off semi-final opponents Bristol City, who they brushed aside with ease.
Sunderland, meanwhile, were dreadful in the regular season after confirming their play-off spot. Victory over Frank Lampard’s Coventry City was dramatic, with Dan Ballard heading in expertly to avoid the nerves of a Stadium of Light penalty shootout.
Both sides carried a bit of Wembley and play-off hoodoo into Saturday’s final, and Sheffield United broke one particular duck by scoring their first-ever goal in a play-off final.
And what a goal it was. But before that, Anthony Patterson in the Sunderland goal made a world-class save to deny Kieffer Moore – who would go on to decide the match in the worst possible way.
Moore’s header looked destined for the bottom corner just 70 seconds in, but Patterson clawed the ball off the line – in the same goal Dean Henderson was a hero in during the FA Cup final just a week earlier.
That header also ended Luke O’Nein’s afternoon. ‘Mr Sunderland’ looked in serious pain with what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder.
Sunderland, rattled by the injury to one of their key players, struggled to gain a foothold in the final and fell behind in the 25th minute.
Just as Black Cats supporters gained a sliver of hope, they were punished on the counter. From a Black Cats corner, Sheffield United burst forward, and Gustavo Hamer slipped a tidy trivela pass through a defender’s legs for Tyreese Campbell to dink the ball over Patterson. Wembley erupted in celebration of the club’s first goal in a play-off final.
They looked set to double their lead soon after when Harrison Burrows’ volley hit the net, but it was disallowed for offside. Vinicius Souza was clearly obstructing Patterson, who dived late. Chris Kavanagh eventually disallowed it after a long VAR check – correctly, but still painfully slow.
That decision marked a shift. Sunderland began to grow into the game and earned a deserved equaliser through Eliezer Mayenda – a composed finish following a perfectly weighted pass from Patrick Roberts. Who was there to celebrate and bark touchline instructions? O’Nein, of course, arm now in a sling.
With momentum on their side and Hamer subbed off, Sunderland looked more likely to win it.
And they did – in sensational fashion.
In the 95th minute, 19-year-old academy graduate Tommy Watson – off to Brighton this summer – delivered an iconic Sunderland play-off moment. His inch-perfect, pass-like finish into the bottom corner showed absurd maturity. Michael Cooper in the Blades goal stretched in vain.
For Sunderland, it’s all about Watson firing them back into the Premier League for the first time since 2016/17. For Sheffield United, it’s another play-off final defeat – their fifth overall and tenth failed play-off campaign.
The winning goal, from the Blades’ point of view, was a disaster. Kieffer Moore’s slack pass handed Watson all the time in the world to win it. That moment may have cost Sheffield United promotion – and a lot of money.
And just like that, Sunderland are a Premier League outfit again. It’s been a treacherous period – full of lows, promotion heartbreaks, back-to-back relegations, and even Zlatan Ibrahimovic popping up on transfer shortlists – but they’re bloody back. And so is the Tyne-Wear derby.
At least it’s something different. Sunderland will likely spend big in a bid to stay up – but they’ll need to get almost every signing right, or they’re going straight back down.
That’s enough negativity. There should be none of that on a historic day for Sunderland and Regis Le Bris. Congratulations, fellas – and please, give us an interesting relegation battle. We are on our knees here.
READ NEXT: Outrageous stats of Mohamed Salah as Liverpool star named Premier League Player of the Season