Southampton secure return to Premier League after winning Championship play-off final

In what was termed the greatest football match ever,

Southampton defeated Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley to earn their first-ever Premier League spot.

Thanks to a goal from Adam Armstrong in the 24th minute on Sunday,

the Saints—who were demoted from the top division in the 2022–2023 season after finishing bottom of the table—won the Championship play-off final.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, one of Southampton’s most well-known fans,

thanked the team and reshared a photo of the squad on X with the caption, “We’re back.”

but they were doomed to lose six out of seven play-off games. The West Yorkshire team,

which placed third in the Championship the previous season and narrowly missed the top two spots for immediate promotion,

will have to compete for another season in the English football second division.

According to accountants at Deloitte, Southampton’s promotion to the Premier League

is expected to bring in £140 million in revenue over the course of the following three seasons.

If Southampton wins their first Premier League season and avoids relegation, that amount may increase to more than £305 million.

After being demoted from the Premier League in 2005, they had to wait seven years to return.

spending two of those years in League One. However, under manager Russell Martin,

who was hired in June of last year, they managed to return much more quickly this time.

Armstrong’s low shot past goalkeeper Illan Meslier gave Southampton, who finished fourth in the regular season standings, the lead.

This is Armstrong’s fourth goal against Leeds this season.

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