On the final day, Ipswich Town narrowly defeated Leeds United to gain Premier League promotion.
Ipswich Town skipper Sam Morsy admits Leeds United’s 90-point haul was simply insufficient to secure promotion in what has been a fantastic Championship season.
Leeds were relegated to the play-offs after losing 2-1 at home to Southampton on Saturday, however the outcome was irrelevant as Ipswich overcame Huddersfield Town to seal their own fate and join Leicester in the top two. Daniel Farke’s team was excellent for much of the season, including a 15-game unbeaten streak that had them in contention for first place, but a 90-point haul left them short.
They became the first team in Championship history to reach that milestone without finishing in the top two, with Sunderland the last to do it in 1997/98, when the league was still called the First Division. Ipswich and Leicester finished with 96 and 97 points, respectively, with the former’s captain highlighting Leeds’ misfortune.
“It’s an incredible moment,” Morsy told the East Anglian Daily Times of his team’s promotion. “It’s not simple at all; we’ve played with some wonderful clubs this season, including Leicester, Leeds, and Southampton, all of which have great coaches and experienced top players.
“Coming in second place and being promoted is a tremendous accomplishment, and it’s made even sweeter by the fact that the teams behind us have been so good and challenged us all season. You look at Leeds; typically, 90 points would suffice, but not this season. We got 96, which is a fairly excellent points total, and we did it.”
Leeds will be especially chastened by the fact that they defeated both Ipswich and Leicester during the regular season, including a 4-0 victory at Elland Road in December. Farke’s squad performed admirably against the top teams but fell short elsewhere, with defeats to Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town, and Rotherham proving costly.
They will now meet sixth-placed Norwich City in the play-off semi-finals, with the first leg taking place at Carrow Road on Sunday and Leeds returning to Elland Road a week later on Thursday. The winner of the two-legged match will face either Southampton or West Bromwich Albion at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, May 26.
Leeds’ disappointing run into the play-offs will alarm Farke, but they are not alone, with none of the four contending teams gathering momentum as the vital period approaches. Norwich and Southampton are the most ‘in-form’ teams, with nine points in their past six games, while West Brom has seven.
Leeds are the biggest strugglers by far, with only four points from their past six games. According to Opta statistician Jonny Cooper (@JRCooper26), they are the only side in second-tier play-off history to enter the knockout mini-tournament with only six games.
