Winning the £180 million match, Southampton exploded on their return to the Premier League

Thắng trận cầu 180 triệu bảng, Southampton bùng nổ ngày trở lại Ngoại hạng Anh — The play-off match for promotion to the Premier League is exciting and attractive.

True to the meaning of the phrase “play-off”, the four teams ranked from 3 to 6 in the First Division – this year Leeds United, Southampton, West Brom, Norwich City – must meet in a supplementary round consisting of two semi-finals, after which the two winning teams play the final to win the final promotion ticket.

The journey to promotion is undoubtedly difficult, but the reward for the only team to win this play-off round is therefore unimaginably large.

In addition to being promoted to the Premier League next season, the owner of the third promotion ticket will also pocket a total of about 180 million pounds including bonuses and television copyright in the first season back to the highest level of English football.

This amount, as per the regulations, is to be paid over three seasons rather than in one lump sum.

In addition, if they successfully stay in the first season, the total revenue the team receives could increase to around £300 million, paid out over five years, from 2025 to 2029.

This is how the Premier League supports small teams in financial conditions that are not really abundant, difficult to compare with many Premier League "giants" who always spend a lot of money on the annual transfer market.

Back to the play-off match taking place on the night of May 26 at Wembley Stadium... Leeds United, after beating Norwich City 4-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, are ready to compete with Southampton, the team that beat West Brom 3-1 in the other semi-final.

The £180m showdown attracted a crowd of 85,000 at Wembley Stadium, where the FA Cup final had been played the day before.

Southampton had beaten Leeds United both times this season, so they confidently entered the game and soon created dangerous situations thanks to the dynamism of winger Adam Armstrong and central midfielder Will Smallbone.

After Smallbone's free kick forced goalkeeper Illan Meslier to make a save in the 13th minute, eleven minutes later, the midfielder sent a very clear through pass to teammate Armstrong. Leeds United's defense failed to trap him for offside and Armstrong leisurely broke free, comfortably unleashing a low shot into the far corner of the Leeds United goal, opening the scoring.

Leeds United were not willing to concede too early, but their attacks were all stopped outside Southampton's penalty area. The Saints defended very well and were ready to counter-attack, significantly limiting Leeds United's attacks. Southampton even had a chance to double the gap at the end of the first half, but Illan Meslier was alert this time, blocking Armstrong's shot.

In the second half, Leeds United almost equalized many times, the most regrettable being the shot that hit the crossbar by substitute Daniel James in the 84th minute. The Welsh striker continued to have another chance in the 90+4 minute but his long-range shot was blocked by goalkeeper McCarthy.

Southampton held on until the end of 12 minutes of extra time and won 1-0, officially returning to the Premier League after only 1 season of relegation.

Leeds United have reason to be... sad, as they have become the first team since Sunderland in 1997-1998 to earn 90 points in a First Division season but fail to gain promotion.

Historically, Leeds United have suffered the most defeats in the promotion play-off final (4 times).