Hull City have secured promotion to the Premier League after a dramatic 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough in Saturday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium.
Scottish striker Oli McBurnie scored the decisive goal deep into stoppage time, capitalising on a goalkeeping error from Sol Brynn to send Hull back to the top flight for the first time since the 2016/17 season.
The victory completes a remarkable turnaround for Hull, who narrowly escaped relegation to League One just a year ago.
Managed by Sergej Jakirovic, the Tigers also became the first sixth-placed side to win promotion through the Championship play-offs since Blackpool in 2010.
Football finance experts Deloitte estimate Hull could earn at least £205 million over the next three seasons through increased broadcast, commercial and match-day revenues following promotion.
The figure could rise to £365 million if the club avoids relegation in its first Premier League campaign.
The final was overshadowed by the “spygate” controversy that rocked the Championship play-offs earlier this week. Southampton were expelled from the play-offs after being found guilty of unauthorised filming of Middlesbrough training sessions ahead of their semi-final clash.
Despite dominating possession for much of the match, Middlesbrough struggled to convert chances in the scorching conditions at Wembley.
Hull, however, remained dangerous on the counter-attack, with McBurnie hitting the crossbar before eventually finding the winner in stoppage time after Brynn parried Yu Hirakawa’s cross into his path.
The result seals Hull’s long-awaited return to the Premier League and caps off one of the most unexpected promotion stories of the season.
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