Key events
Still want more? Course you do.
Ben Fisher’s report has landed
Sunderland’s players go up to collect their medals, joy written all over their faces. Eventually Dan Neil, with a bit of help from Luke O’Nien and Regis Le Bris, lifts the playoff trophy to the heavens in triumph.
Sunderland, who went into the playoffs on the back of five straight defeats, have beaten Coventry and Sheffield United with injury-time goals that their supporters will talk about forever. And right now, in the moment of glory, nobody is using a pound sign.
Luke O’Nien, who dislocated his shoulder after 70 seconds, is speaking to Sky Sports
I don’t know why the hell you guys are interviewing me! Mind you it’s probably my best game in a Sunderland shirt since I joined the club. I’m so proud of these boys, so proud. I can’t really believe what I’ve just seen.
[On watching from the sidelines] I’ve never had anxiety like it. The gaffer said if we got one goal, the next would follow. [Turns to look at the crowd] OH MY WORD!
[You’ve made yourself a Sunderland legend] I haven’t, those boys have. Tommy Watson, Sunderland legend. Those boys over there, Sunderland legends. I’m just delighted to play a part in this happiness. I did nothing! I didn’t even play a part! I covered more distance celebrating the goals that I did on the field today.
A word too for the Sunderland keeper Anthony Patterson, who made a crucial save shortly before the equaliser and a genuinely amazing save after 70 seconds.
Tom Watson’s reaction
I can’t put it into words. Just look around, it’s fucki- it’s unbelievable.
[On his goal being a leaving present for Sunderland] We’ll see each other in the Premier League next year, in the big time.
[Did you see an opportunity to be the hero?] 100 per cent. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. I think the story was written when I came off the bench. I couldn’t have pictured it any better.
[On his goal] I got closed down so I used the defender (smiles sheepishly) and it went in the bottom corner.
Chris Wilder, who must be utterly devastated after yet another playoff defeat for Sheffield United, shakes Regis Le Bris’s hand, says “well done” and gets the hell out of dodge. For the next hour, Wembley belongs exclusively to Sunderland, who are back in the Premier League after eight years in the EFL.
They were second best for 75 minutes, arguably third best, but Le Bris’s substitutions worked a treat. Tom Watson and Patrick Roberts played vital parts in a belting equaliser from Eliezer Mayenda. It was anyone’s game after that, and the teenager Watson settled it with a delightful injury-time goal. He is off to Brighton in the summer; apparently that was his last kick for the club.
SUNDERLAND ARE BACK IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE!
Full time: Sheffield United 1-2 Sunderland The Tyne-Wear derby is back, baby! Sunderland will play Newcastle and all the other big teams in the Premier League next season after a stunning turnaround at Wembley.
90+11 min Le Fee wins a free-kick and celebrates wildly. Sunderland are seconds away from a victory that will go into club folklore, whatever happens next season.
90+10 min “Are you making this up or something ?” says Jeremy Boyce. “Tom Watson was the name of Sunderland AFC’s first official manager, back in the 1890s…”
Yeah I know, it’s him. The quality of the DeLoreans is through the roof these days.
90+8 min Cirkin fouls somebody and is booked. Sheffield United have brought Femi Seriki on for somebody. I don’t know.
What must Chris Wilder be thinking? His team have won 30 matches this season across the league season and the playoffs, and as things stand they won’t be promoted.
90+8 min Sunderland bring on Leo Hjelde for Eliezer Mayenda.
The teenager Tom Watson, playing his last game for Sunderland before a move to Brighton, has scored a superb goal! Kieffer Moore’s poor layoff went straight to Watson, 35 yards from goal. He scooted to the edge of the D, used Vinicius Souza as a screen and curved a nonchalant low pass into the bottom corner! There wasn’t much pace on the shot but it could not have been more precise and Cooper couldn’t get there. Wow.
GOAL! Sheff Utd 1-2 Sunderland (Watson 90+5)
Scenes upon scenes at Wembley!
90+4 min Play resumes after a delay of three minutes, which means around 10 of added time in total.
90+4 min Ahmedhodzic came off worst and is being checked by the physio. He looks okay.
90+2 min Another break in play because of a clash of heads between two Sheffield United players, Cannon and Ahmedhodzic I think.
90+1 min: Double substitution for Sheffield United Tom Davies and Tom Cannon replace Ben Brereton Diaz and Sydie Peck.
There will be seven minutes of added nail-chewing.
90 min That fall has ended Brereton Diaz’s afternoon. Hume’s challenge was fair, under the laws of the game, but he knew what he was doing and that sort of tackle will probably be outlawed in the next few years. Rightly or wrongly, I’ve no idea.
88 min “I didn’t realise Joachim was the youngest scorer!” says Graham Randall. “His goal in the semi final was brilliant. Notable because the game was played in Nottingham.”
Not as good as the goal at Barnsley! I thought he was going to be a superstar. Some very fine journalists, including Paddy Barclay from memory, compared him in style to Romario. You can see why with the goal against Portsmouth that you mentioned – he was, to use Rob Hughes’ lovely description of Romario, “like a lizard between rocks”.
86 min Hume wipes out Brereton Diaz with a lusty ball-and-man challenge. Brereton Diaz lands awkwardly and needs treatment.
85 min Roberts, whose substitution has helped change this game, is cynically pulled back by Brereton Diaz. Yellow card.
83 min “You know when someone wins a car on the telly and they immediately sell it and take the money?” says Niall Mullen. “Could you do that with the playoffs? We’ll take the £100m and the playoff trophy but you can keep your promotion.”
82 min Hume makes a vital defensive header at the far post, with Brereton Diaz waiting behind him to (probably) score.
All bets are off now.
81 min The ball has gone flat, which means a few seconds’ respite for United while a new one is thrown onto the field.
80 min Bellingham, 25 yards out, drills a heatseeker that goes not far over the bar. Maurice Mentum is up to his old tricks once again; Sunderland are suddenly all over United.
78 min Luke O’Nien, his shoulder back in place, was front and centre in the Sunderland celebrations. Quite right too.
At 20 years 16 days, Mayenda is the second youngest scorer in a Championship/second-tier playoff final after Julian Joachim in 1993.
Watson and Le Fee combined purposefully in midfield to find Roberts, who wandered a long way infield from the right to get involved. He slipped a gorgeous angled pass towards Mayenda, haring into space to his right. Mayenda cushioned the ball on the run and slammed it high into the net past Cooper. That’s a fine goal.
GOAL! Sheff Utd 1-1 Sunderland (Mayenda 76)
And just like that, Sunderland are level with a terrific goal!
75 min Moore is about to shoot from 20 yards when Bellingham picks his pocket. Sunderland started the second half well but right now United look the likelier scorers.
