SHEFFIELD: Sheffield United secured automatic promotion to the Premier League with three games to spare after Wednesday’s 2-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion ensured they will finish second in the Championship behind champions Burnley. The Blades will return to the Premier League after two seasons, having been relegated in the 2020-21 campaign in which they finished bottom of the table. The Yorkshire club, coached by Paul Heckingbottom, are second in the second-tier standings on 85 points after 43 games — 10 points behind Burnley, who have played a game more. Burnley clinched the title on Tuesday by beating local rivals Blackburn Rovers. Second-half goals by Sander Berge and Anel Ahmedhodzic guided them to victory over West Brom to take an unassailable seven-point lead over third-placed Luton Town – who have played 44 games. Sheffield United, who were beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals last week, missed out on promotion last season after losing to Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. The top two in the division are promoted to the Premier League while the teams that finish third to sixth go into the playoffs to fight for the final spot. Promotion can be worth over 300 million pounds ($373.95 million) over five seasons if a club survives their first season in the Premier League — according to last year’s Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance.
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