CNN
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Sunderland defeated Sheffield United 2-1 to win an extraordinary injury time winner in the “most worthy match” of football, securing promotion to the Premier League as the Championship Playoff Finals are known.
For much of the game, Sunderland chased 1-0 after Sheffield United took the lead early through a wide-ranging counterattack move ended by Tyree Campbell.
However, the Blade hit some chances to put the game beyond Sunderland reach, and in the 76th minute the Kuroneko equalized when Eliezer Mayanda lived the ball into the net.
And 19-year-old Tom Watson completed the Sunderland collision deep in Sunderland’s injuries, bringing one of the most historic clubs of British football back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, sending fans to the Dellium inside Wembley Stadium.
Since relegation in 2017, the Black Cats have even struggled with four long stints in League One.
They will eventually return to the championship in 2022 to win the promotion, joining Leeds United and Burnley to secure a promotion to the Premier League this season.
“I think my congratulations say everything,” Watson, who is away from Sunderland to join Brighton, told broadcaster Sky Sports. “Look around, it’s incredible, we’ll see each other in the Premier League next year.
“I was thinking about it for weeks. My story was written when I got out of the bench. I couldn’t have imagined any more.”
Sunderland was behind the scenes from the start of the game. Two minutes into the opening, club captain Luk Onien was kicked out with a shoulder injury as he tried to protect Kiefer Moore’s header. The only comfort for the Blackcats when Onien left the field was that a great goalkeeping from Anthony Patterson prevented Sheffield United from taking the lead.
However, in the 25th minute, the blade moved forward when Gustavo Hamer poached the ball from the corner of Sunderland, ran upfield and found Campbell, who dropped the ball into the net.
With the opportunity to play the awards offered in the Premier League, the celebration after every goal was filled with emotion. In this example, Campbell was buried beneath a mountain of Sheffield United players.
Just ten minutes later, Blade thought they would double the lead when Harrison Burrows found the back of the net after Sunderland’s defense cleared the corner only to the edge of the box. However, after a video assistant umpire check determined Vini Souza was in an offside position, the target was not allowed.
And the Blade was left behind by the missed opportunity and the 69th minute when Patterson once again stopped his almost certain goal.
The momentum began to change, and seven minutes later Sunderland collapsed Sheffield United midfield, putting up a series of passes that allowed Mayenda to find the back of the net.
Sling’s arm Onien joined his teammate and later told Sky Sports that he “covered more distance” to celebrate the team’s two goals than he played.
The black cat kept pushing, and in the 95th minute, Watson hit with a loose pass, sending the ball into the net to reward him for the slow winner, ensuring Sunderland was their first team in 29 years to win the post-trail championship playoff final at halftime.
This story has been updated with additional developments.