Burnley clinched promotion back to the Premier League with a win that also sent Leeds United up and consigned Sheffield United to the Championship play-offs.
The Clarets extended their unbeaten run to 31 games with Josh Brownhill scoring twice, a victory that clinched a top-two place along with the Whites, who beat Stoke City earlier in the day.
For the Blades, a fourth defeat in five games means they will finish third and have to fight their way through the post-season if they are to claim the third promotion spot.
Scott Parker’s side have built their campaign on a remarkable defensive effort and the win means they have secured promotion by breaking a 104-year-old record for their longest unbeaten run.
Chris Wilder’s side go into the play-offs searching for the form that saw them go four points clear at the top at the end of March, although they had the small consolation of seeing Tom Cannon score his first goal for the club following his January move from Leicester City.
Needing the win to return to the top flight at the first time of asking, Burnley made no mistake in front of a raucous crowd to spark celebrations at Turf Moor and also in the Bremner Suite at Elland Road, where the Leeds players gathered in front of a television following their 6-0 rout of the Potters.
The Blades needed three points to stand any real chance of taking the fight to the final two weekends of the season and with manager Wilder picking Kieffer Moore and Cannon in a two-pronged attack, they pushed forward at the start.
Harrison Burrows fired over and Moore’s shot found goalkeeper James Trafford solidly behind the ball, as he has been all season after keeping 29 clean sheets.
The Clarets moved ahead thanks to Brownhill, who has been in sensational goalscoring form this season from midfield. He was, typically, in the right place to slam the ball into the roof of the net after Michael Cooper had done well to parry a fierce Josh Cullen drive into his path.
The Blades found Trafford and the excellent Maxime Esteve in stubborn mood as they sought a way back into the game, but it was Gustavo Hamer who finally opened up the home defence, who conceded only their 15th goal in 44 league games.
The Dutch midfielder slid a ball down the inside left channel and Cannon, who had drawn a blank in his previous 12 games since joining the South Yorkshire club from Leicester City, finished well with a rising left-footed drive that even Trafford could not stop.
The Blades were level for just five minutes before they conceded a penalty, as Anel Ahmedhodzic caught Hannibal Mejbri, leading to Brownhill to tuck home from the spot to register his 16th goal of the season.
That goal puts him one behind Norwich City’s Borja Sainz and three behind Leeds’ Joel Piroe in the chase for the Championship’s Golden Boot award.
The Blades tried to fight their way back into it but they came up against a defence which has been close to impeccable this season.
Ben Brereton Diaz had their only chance but fired one over the bar and was superbly closed down by winger Jaidon Anthony as he shaped to shoot.
With their primary mission achieved Burnley can now relax, but if they concede no more than two goals in their final two games they will go down as the meanest defence in English football history.
They have currently conceded 0.34 goals per game, better than the seasonal record of 0.39 held by the 1978-79 Liverpool team and the 2004-05 Chelsea outfit.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
- President Commissions 36.5 Million Dollars Hospital In The Tain District
- You Will Not Go Free For Killing An Hard Working MP – Akufo-Addo To MP’s Killer
- I Will Lead You To Victory – Ato Forson Assures NDC Supporters
Visit Our Social Media for More
About Author
