Leeds are PROMOTED back to the Premier League after a two-year absence — Mail 21/4/25

Leeds are PROMOTED back to the Premier League after a two-year absence, with Burnley's win over Sheffield United sending the Clarets back up too

Leeds have secured promotion with two games left following Burnley's victory

They thrashed Stoke 6-0 earlier on Monday to put themselves on the brink

By LEWIS BROWNING

Leeds promotion back to the Premier League was confirmed on Monday evening after Burnley beat Sheffield United in a crunch Championship clash.

Daniel Farke's side were on the brink of their promotion being confirmed following their match on the same day, with the league leaders thrashing Stoke 6-0 at Elland Road in an earlier game.

It meant the Whites only needed Sheffield United to avoid victory in the evening game, and they did just that - also at their own expense.

Burnley's victory meant they too were promoted at the first time of asking, led to the Premier League under Scott Parker following relegation under the stewardship of Vincent Kompany last term.

But it is a return after two years away for Leeds, who have widely been regarded as a club that should be in the Premier League. Last season, they lost in the play-off final against Southampton with doubts surrounding Farke's future.

This time around, though, they have not tripped up this time around, securing promotion with two games to spare, and they can now prepare for life in the top flight once again.

Players celebrated in footage shared by the club on social media as the evening game finished

The players were inside Elland Road draped in promotion scarves

Players celebrated in footage shared by the club on social media as the evening game finished

Joel Piroe scored four goals in the first half for a side that put on an exhibition for the packed out crowd, who were never going to stop the West Yorkshire rain from putting a dampener on their big day.

Their team weren't either. By half-time, they were five goals up, with four courtesy of Piroe, who scored the quickest hat-trick in Leeds' history. It ended six-nil but in reality, it could have been even more.

With 89 goals in 44 Championship games, they are the entertainers and now join Marcelo Bielsa's side of 2019-20 as just the second Leeds team to secure promotion to the Premier League.

Pre-match, Farke had called on everyone from the stewards to the groundsmen to be in full voice as Leeds had 'the chance to create something really special' and achieve promotion to the Premier League for the first time with supporters - when they went up in 2020, it was during the pandemic.

They did just that, and the celebrations are full time were those of resignation, with all involved realising they were on the brink. After promotion was confirmed, he said: 'I'm lost for words, which doesn't happen that often. You could see from this morning that the atmosphere was amazing.

'94 points at this stage of the season is unbelievable. The players should celebrate, our supporters should celebrate and we will definitely make sure that Easter Monday lasts for one or two more days.

'It's difficult on such an emotional day to reflect too much but it was a long road. It's not easy to stabilise the ship after relegation, and to deal with the lost important players and a hangover from relegation.

'I just want right now beer after beer, champagne after champagne and don't bother me about football for a few days.'

Leeds have been by far the best side in the Championship this term, despite stuttering just a matter of weeks ago

They can now prepare for their return to the top flight, having lost the play-off final last season

'We were not able to spend too much money and I was also a bit jealous that some other clubs could spend money.'

Leeds have been the best side in the division this season, but it has been a campaign that hasn't been without some slip ups. In late March and early April, they won just one of seven games as their promotion push stumbled, but they have recovered to win their last four.

Burnley, meanwhile, have been the division's standout side defensively this season. They have conceded just 14 goals in 44 games under Parker, losing just twice as they proved to be hard to beat.

Against United, their closest challengers for second place, Josh Brownhill scored the opened to lift the roof off Turf Moor, but Thomas Cannon silenced the cheers when he equalised just before the break.

Brownhill, though, netted his second of the game from the penalty spot just before the break. And that was enough, with ecstatic scenes triggered at the full time whistle.

While fans flooded onto the Turf Moor pitch, Sky cameras showed Leeds players celebrating back at Elland Road with champagne being sprayed.

Burnley players mobbed Parker, while some unsavoury scenes saw some fans clash with Sheffield United players as they left the field.

Hamza Choudhury seemed to be the player involved, being moved away by police and then again being held back in the tunnel.

'I am speechless,' Burnley hero Brownhill told Sky Sports after the game. 'All that hard work this season. We have been written off so many times, people calling us boring. We have worked our way back to the Premier League.

'I am so buzzing for some of the players who haven't had Premier League football before.'

ITV also shared footage of Leeds fans at the Peacock Pub in Yorkshire, chanting 'we are going up' as the game came to an end.

There was also a live stream held on social media, with fans gathering outside Elland Road to bask in the celebrations.

Leeds, meanwhile, shared footage of their players celebrating, wearing promotion flags and chanting 'Don't you know pump it up, the Whites are going up'.

Sheffield United must now turn their attentions to ending the season strong before a play-off campaign in their bid to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. They are eight points adrift of Burnley with 44 games played.