Leeds United and Burnley clinched promotion to the Premier League for next season, completing the feat after victories on Monday and with two games to spare in the Championship.
Joel Piroe scored four times in Leeds’ 6-0 win over Stoke City, nabbing his first two goals by the eighth minute. The damage was done by halftime when Leeds were up 5-0, with Piroe scoring four of them and Junior Firpo bagging the other. Wilfried Gnonto scored the game’s final goal in the 59th minute, while Piroe had already marked a unique accomplishment of his own – he became Leeds’ first player to score four goals in the first half of a competitive match.
The win meant Leeds needed Burnley to beat or draw Sheffield United later on Monday and the Clarets managed just that with a 2-1 victory. Josh Brownhill scored a brace in Burnley’s win, which also guaranteed them a top two finish and a spot in next season’s Premier League competition.
Leeds have been among the frontrunners to earn promotion all season long in the Championship and will now end a two-year spell in England’s second division. They are currently top of the Championship table with 94 points and are guaranteed to finish inside the top two, which guarantees a spot in the Premier League next season.
Considering their Premier League ambitions, Leeds are currently stacked with personnel who have experience in England’s top flight. Seven members of the team that started Monday’s game all have Premier League experience, including U.S. men’s national team player Brenden Aaronson, while manager Daniel Farke was previously in charge of Norwich City when they played in England’s first division.
Burnley, meanwhile, return to the Premier League after just one season away. Several players on their roster were part of their last campaign in the top-flight, including most of their starters on Monday. Manager Scott Parker, meanwhile, is new to the club after replacing current Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany over the summer but has managerial experience in the Premier League from stints with Fulham and Bournemouth.
One other spot in next season’s edition of the Premier League is still up for grabs through the promotion playoffs, which will see the teams that finish the Championship season ranked three to six square off against each other. This year’s playoff final will take place on May 24 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
In the Premier League, Southampton and Leicester City have already clinched relegation back to the Championship after just one season in England’s top flight.
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