Key events
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.
73 min: Double substitution for Sunderland Tom Watson and Wilson Isidor come on for the captain Dan Neil and Romaine Mundle.
72 min: Sheff Utd Ben Brereton Diaz replaces Gus Hamer, who made Tyrese Campbell’s goal and has been the best attacking player on the pitch by a mile. He’s such a lovely footballer.
71 min Gus Hamer needs to come off. I’m not sure what happened but he’s limping off the field very slowly.
Vital save by Patterson!
69 min Cirkin dithers over a bouncing ball and is muscled aside by Brooks. He moves into the area and sweeps a shot from 15 yards that Patterson saves crucially with his legs. He’d already dived the other way – Brooks gave him the eyes – but was able to keep it out nonetheless.
68 min Mundle pulls back VInicius Siuza and is booked for tactical foulery.
67 min A promising low cross from Cirkin is turned behind for a corner by Vinicius Souza. Sunderland are 6-1 up on that score.
Alas, most of the corners have been crap and this is no exception. It’s cleared at the near post and looped back onto the roof of the net by Roberts. Cooper had it covered.
65 min: Double substitution for Sheffield United Callum O’Hare and Andre Brooks replace Rhian Brewster and Tyrese Campbell, whose immaculate finish separates the sides.
64 min Sheffield United are having a decent spell of possession, sparked inevitably by Gus Hamer. He’s played some fine passes today, none better than for the goal.
63 min “Having no dog in the fight, I have to find a different way to choose who to support,” says Matt Dony. “Chris Mepham for Sunderland, or Kieffer Moore and Adam Davies for Sheffield United. It’s a simple question of maths, I guess. Up the Blades!”
Sunderland do have Harrison Jones on the bench, though I think he was born in York.
62 min Robinson’s long throw is claimed well under pressure by Patterson. He’s been nigh-on flawless so far.
59 min The first yellow card goes to Brewster for an inept lunge at Mundle.
58 min: Sunderland substitution Patrick Roberts replace 17-year-old Chris Rigg on the right wing.
57 min Le Fee, hitherto quiet, surges into the area and whacks a right-foot shot that is well blocked by Robinson.
56 min No shots on target at either end in the second half but Sheffield United’s defenders are closer to the seat of their pants than they were in the first half. It’s a much better game now.
53 min More pressure from Sunderland, sparked by a run and deflected cross from Mundle. But then Sheffield United break two on two and Sunderland are suddenly in trouble.
Moore’s shot is superbly blocked and deflects to Brewster, arriving on the scene in support. His touch is heavy and Rigg flies into a desperate but important tackle. He had to get that right in his own penalty area.
51 min Sunderland have started the second half with greater intensity. Mundle looks especially lively, though as I type that he wafts the ball high and wide from distance.
47 min Mundle finds the underlapping Cirkin, who wins an early corner for Sunderland. It’s taken short and wasted when Rigg’s cross goes out of play.
46 min Sunderland get the second half under way. No substitutions yet.
Half-time reading
Half time: Sheffield United 1-0 Sunderland
Sheffield United are one step closer to promotion after a quietly dominant first half at Wembley. Tyrese Campbell’s lovely counter-attacking goal separates the sides and United have carried the greater threat despite having less of the ball.
Anthony Patterson made an astounding save in the second minute to deny Kieffer Moore, with Sunderland defender Luke O’Nien disclocating his shoulder in the same incident. Harrison Burrows then had a goal disallowed for offside after a VAR intervention.
At the other end, Sunderland’s only real chance was headed over by Eliezer Mayenda. Neat and tidy though they are in possession, Sunderland have been all hat and no cattle.
45+7 min More urgency from Sunderland as half-time approaches. But Sheffield United continue to keep them at arm’s length without too much difficulty. The Sky commentators think we may see Wilson Isidor at the start of the second half.
45+4 min Excellent defending from Robinson, who steps across to take Mundle’s low cross of the toe of Mayenda near the penalty spot. A split-second later and Mayenda would have got a shot in.
45 min O’Nien’s injury and the VAR check mean there will be eight minutes of added time.
44 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “One game in Scotland today, the East of Scotland cup final between Downfield and Coupar Angus Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Aberdeen. Aberdeen playing the Sunderland role at Hampden, having finished 39 points behind Celtic in the league. Nearly half a hour gone, and no goals yet. But that was also the case when these two teams met in the Scottish League Cup semi-final earlier in the season, and that ended 6-0 to Celtic. So I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I was an Aberdeen fan.”
Especially now they’ve gone 1-0 down.
42 min After another dangerous break from United, Moore overhits an outside-of-the-boot cross towards Campbell. Even without the ball, they have the game under control right now. They look a lot more streetwise than Sunderland.
40 min Sunderland have had 60 per cent of the possession. They’ve struggled to create chances, though, with only Muyenda’s header coming to mind. Sheffield United look the more threatening team.
NO GOAL! Sheff Utd 1-0 Sunderland
37 min Yep, the goal is ruled out. Chris Kavanagh announces the decision to the crowd, a needless humiliation for him, but it was a fair call.
36 min: Chris Kavanagh is going to the monitor! That means the player, Vini Souza I think, was in an offside position, so it’s a subjective decision for the referee.
Harrison Burrows has now scored two and made three in the playoffs alone. Hamer’s corner was headed away to the edge of the D, where Burrows struck a half-volley that bobbled through the crowd and past the unsighted Patterson.
There was a player right next to Patterson but he may have been played onside by Bellingham. VAR check incoming.
GOAL! Sheff Utd 2-0 Sunderland (Burrows 34)
Sunderland have gone 2-0 down!
