Fulham earn promotion to the Premier League
After being relegated in the 2018-19 season of the Premier League, Fulham have earned a promotion to England's top-flight football division. Joe Bryan's two extra-time goals helped Fulham beat Brentford in the Championship play-off final. This will be Fulham's 15th campaign in the Premier League. They joined Leeds United and West Brom in earning promotion. Here are further details.
How did the match pan out?
The match ended 0-0 in normal time and Bryan got the opener after a stunning free-kick from 40 yards which David Raya failed to save. Bryan burst forward and combined with Aleksandar Mitrovic before stabbing past Raya to gain a crucial 2-0 lead with three minutes remaining. Henrik Dalsgaard pulled a goal back for Brentford, who had actually finished third in the table.
Both teams had earned respective 3-2 semi-final wins
Fulham had overcome Cardiff City in the semi-final earlier on basis of a 3-2 aggregate score. In fact, Fulham had lost the second leg 1-2 at Craven Cottage. It was their 2-0 win in the first leg that helped them earn a ticket to Wembley. Meanwhile, Brentford had overcome Swansea City 3-2 on aggregate. Their 3-1 win in the second leg made the difference.
Brentford vs Fulham: A look at the notable records scripted
Brentford have now failed to earn promotion in all nine of their play-off attempts in the Football League . Fulham are only the second side to win promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs twice in the space of three seasons. Fulham's Bryan registered a brace for the first time in his professional career.
Premier League: Fulham had a dismal 2018-19 campaign
Fulham were relegated from the Premier League after a horrible 2018-19 campaign. They finished 19th in the table after earning just 26 points from 38 games. They had registered a staggering 26 losses, besides conceding 81 goals (highest).
Fulham join Leeds United and West Brom
Leeds, who finished atop in the Championship 2019-20 season, earned promotion with two games to spare. After finishing third in the Championship last season, Leeds suffered a dramatic 4-3 play-off semi-final defeat against Derby to miss out. This season saw Leeds ending up with 93 points from 46 games. They were joined by West Brom, who picked up 83 points.
The perfect end!
THE PERFECT END TO A WILD SEASON! 🏆 #FULFORCEpic.twitter.com/VcIsxJOt9Y
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 4, 2020
