Burnley earned automatic promotion to the Premier League — and took Leeds United with them — after a closely fought 2-1 victory over third-placed Sheffield United at Turf Moor on Monday. The outcome opened up an unbridgeable chasm at the top of the Championship and guaranteed the top two slots with two games to go.
Parking the bus and putting players behind the ball Burnley made an earlier splash when Leeds thrashed Stoke City 6-0. Club captain Josh Brownhill answered that call, scoring twice to secure the victory and round out a campaign defined by defensive fortitude — Burnley has conceded just 15 goals all season.
“I’m speechless. All that hard work this season … We’ve bored our way to the Premier League,” Brownhill said after the game, hitting back at his side’s critics.
Leeds, combining to end last season’s playoff final disappointment, were sanguine, lapping it up at Elland Road when it could not be disputed but leaving the champagne on ice until the moment Burnley’s full-time whistle arrived. Daniel Farke described his side’s response to recent pressure as amazing, praising the performance.
Sheffield United, who are 10 points behind in seventh and who have lost three in a row, are destined for the playoffs along with Sunderland, Bristol City and Coventry, although there are outsiders in Middlesbrough, Millwall and Blackburn. At the other end, Plymouth’s 3-1 victory over Coventry kept them back in the survival hunt.
