Southampton Beat Leeds 1-0 In Playoff Final To Return To Premier League

Adam Armstrong scores as Southampton beat Leeds 1-0 in the Championship play-off final on Sunday to clinch promotion back to the Premier League after a one-year exile.

Armstrong’s first-half strike at Wembley ensured Southampton erased the bitter taste of last year’s relegation from the top flight with an immediate return.

Victory in football’s single richest match will give Southampton an estimated £140 million ($178 million) windfall due to the increases in matchday, broadcast, and commercial revenue for clubs who reach the Premier League.

Financial experts Deloitte say Southampton could eventually bank £305 million if they avoid relegation next season.

While the cash prize is a huge bonus, it is the prestige of competing with Manchester City and Arsenal, rather than second-tier minnows like Plymouth and Oxford, that fuelled Southampton’s hunger to regain their Premier League status after a year in purgatory.

Southampton, whose only major honor is the 1976 FA Cup, had spent 11 years in the Premier League before their relegation.

They will hope this success, celebrated by over 35,000 of their fans at Wembley, is the prelude to another lengthy spell among the elite.

In their first-ever play-off final, Southampton made it three wins over Leeds this term despite finishing three points behind the Elland Road club in the regular season.

Saints boss Russell Martin has become widely admired for his purist passing principles and this was the 38-year-old’s crowning glory.

Martin was managing in League One with Milton Keynes Dons just three years ago, but he has transformed Southampton in his first season in charge, to such an extent that they boasted more possession than any team in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

“I’m so pleased for the board because I was not an exciting appointment for them. I finished 10th at Swansea, but we had a really clear way of doing things at MK (Dons) and here, so for them to take me on was brave,” Martin said.

“We had to do this to justify their decision. I feel emotional about it.

“The team has been so brave. I’m grateful and proud of them. They deserve it.”

Securing promotion at Leeds boss Daniel Farke’s expense was a sweet moment for Martin after his Norwich contract was terminated by the German during their time together at Carrow Road in 2018.

The defeat was a bitter blow for Farke and Leeds, who were relegated alongside Southampton last season.