Leeds United promoted back to Premier League as Huddersfield Town secure Championship status with win over West Brom

With a relegation battle to fight, the Terriers had their own problems to think about, but in saving themselves from a second successive demotion, they also returned their local rivals to the top-flight for the first time in 16 years.

Without a goal since July 1, Huddersfield needed just four minutes to break their duck as Chris Willock, on loan from Benfica, tapped in after Sam Johnstone could only save a Juninho Bacuna free-kick with his feet.

The second-placed Baggies made both local rivals sweat when Dara O’Shea equalised late in the first half. He was one of three players in an offside position, but the goal was given.

Huddersfield were under great pressure at the end of the first half, but West Brom were unable to keep the momentum up in a scrappy second half.

The winner came for Emile Smith Rowe, who left the bench and latched onto a well-weighted pass from Lewis O’Brien to put his side in front after 86 minutes.

Town held out to move to 51 points. Although Hull City and Luton Town can both catch that by winning their two remaining matches – they face one another in East Yorkshire on Saturday – their goal difference is far poorer.

Leeds have not played in the top flight since being relegated at the end of the 2003-04 season.

It has been a long and often tortuous road back for Leeds, who were relegated from the top-flight amid a spectacular financial meltdown.

The West Yorkshire club have spent 13 seasons in the Championship and three in League One after dropping into the third tier for the first time in their history in 2007.

Leeds’ debts had spiralled to over £100m in 2003 under former chairman Peter Ridsdale and there were fears the club could go out of business.

They were forced to sell all their players and other assets, including Elland Road Stadium and their Thorp Arch academy, and have since stumbled from crisis to crisis under a succession of different owners.

Leeds went into administration in 2007 under Ken Bates and fared little better under subsequent owners GFH Capital before the arrival of controversial Italian Massimo Cellino.

During Cellino’s chaotic three-year ownership Leeds had seven different managers, but current owner Andrea Radrizzani bought a 50 per cent stake in Leeds in January 2017 to signal the dawning of a new era.

Radrizzani purchased the remaining 50 per cent from Cellino the following May and Leeds made a bold statement of intent by appointing Marcelo Bielsa in the summer of 2018.

It was an expensive gamble, but Bielsa proved an instant hit, transforming the same squad he inherited into genuine promotion challengers in his first season, ultimately falling short when losing in the play-off semi-finals to Derby County.

He finished the jobn at the second time of asking, but is now determined for his players to clinch the title on Sunday at Derby County and go up as champions.

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