'pretty Special' - Leeds And Burnley's Fight To The End For Championship Glory

An unthinkable Championship title title came to a fitting extremity connected Saturday, moving each nan measurement into stoppage clip earlier Leeds United yet pipped Burnley to nan post.

Manor Solomon's last-gasp victor astatine relegated Plymouth Argyle meant Leeds matched nan Clarets' triumph complete play-off chasing Millwall, conscionable arsenic nan location fans astatine Turf Moor were gearing up for an almighty party.

Before kick-off, Leeds knew it was successful their hands, but successful emblematic style, twists and turns followed.

It was an epic ending to what has statistically been nan astir closely-fought hunt for nan title.

For nan first clip ever, 2 teams reached 100 points successful nan aforesaid Championship campaign, pinch Leeds' superior extremity quality proving decisive.

With Birmingham City besides finishing pinch 111 points successful League One, it is nan first clip successful nan Football League's 137-year history that 3 sides person earned a period of points successful nan aforesaid campaign.

Burnley had seen records tumble, including a Championship-best 30 cleanable sheets - equalling Port Vale's Football League grounds group successful 1953-54 - and person conceded conscionable 16 goals.

They person not mislaid astatine location each season, person been beaten only doubly successful nan league, and person been unbeaten successful 33 Championship games since losing astatine Millwall successful November.

It seemed improbable they would not return to nan Premier League arsenic champions, arsenic head Scott Parker admitted.

"If you'd person said to maine you'd scope 100 points, 33 games unbeaten, 16 goals conceded and you wouldn't triumph nan convention I'd person said 'no chance'," Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire, aft adding a 3rd promotion to his sanction aft occurrence pinch Fulham successful 2020 and Bournemouth successful 2022.

"We've done remarkably this year. I'm truthful proud. We came into coming hoping it would spell our way, but wanting to triumph nan crippled and get to 100 points, We did that."

Meanwhile, wherever Burnley person thrived arsenic a protect unit, Leeds shone successful attack. With 95 goals, they were by immoderate region nan apical scorers successful nan division. Joel Piroe (19), Dan James (12) and Solomon (10) person each reached double figures this season.

"I can't put into words what I'm emotion correct now. It is simply a dream travel existent to people nan winning extremity and return this Championship," an affectional Solomon told BBC Radio Leeds astatine full-time.

"Throughout nan play we've shown we merit this trophy and to decorativeness successful nan first spot. I'm truthful gladsome it happened.

"We each knew what was happening astatine Burnley and we knew we needed to score. It paid disconnected and nan shot went into nan net. It will return maine a fewer days to digest what happened today, correct now I'm going to celebrate."

Like Parker, Leeds leader Daniel Farke has immense acquisition of getting retired of nan Championship.

He did truthful arsenic champions pinch Norwich City successful 2019 and 2021 and has now led nan West Yorkshire nine backmost to nan Premier League aft bouncing backmost from play-off last heartache against Southampton a twelvemonth ago.

Farke told BBC Sport: "Of people I'm happy that we won this crippled successful nan last stages and are officially allowed to explanation ourselves arsenic champions and nan champion squad this season.

"It's an emotionally moving time because we person invested truthful overmuch and wanted to crown ourselves pinch immoderate silverware.

"It feels pretty, beautiful typical successful nan dressing room and I'm very happy for my players and staff, it intends truthful overmuch for them, and besides our supporters."

Nobody should hide Sheffield United, either. Although 4 defeats successful 5 games successful April, including a nonaccomplishment astatine Burnley which yet knocked them retired of contention for automatic promotion, proved fatal, nan Blades led for agelong periods and looked nan astir likely.

Chris Wilder's broadside will request to spell again successful nan play-offs, starting against Bristol City successful nan semi-finals. They person shown their readiness for nan Premier League this season, finishing connected 90 points, a tally which would person been capable to spell up automatically successful 3 of nan erstwhile six seasons.

While that points to a much competitory apical of nan Championship than ever, successive seasons pinch each 3 promoted clubs coming down, including Burnley and nan Blades, offers a stark informing too.

A beardown protect portion will beryllium important to hopes of survival, and Clarets skipper Josh Brownhill, who besides scored 18 goals, believes his squad person a beardown chance of betterment this clip around.

"This is simply a different team, we look successful really bully style to spell up for adjacent play and hopefully enactment up. It is going to beryllium difficult but we've worked difficult connected everything; our protect grounds speaks for itself," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Credit to nan unit and nan fans but chiefly nan gaffer. He has worked harder than anybody. 100 points, unbeaten astatine home, unbeaten successful 33 games, our protect grounds has been exceptional."

Never earlier person 2 teams accrued truthful galore points successful nan aforesaid play astatine nan apical of nan 2nd tier.

Their consistency and spot of characteristic laid nan groundwork. Leeds held their nervus successful nan end, and correct astatine nan end, but ultimately, some they and Burnley tin revel successful achievements fresh for nan history books.