New Delhi: Sunderland staged a remarkable comeback to beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the Championship playoff final. Tom Watson came as a substitute in the dying minutes to secure the Black Cats’ long-awaited return to the Premier League. The 19-year-old winger was playing his final game for Sunderland before a summer move to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Sheffield United started high as he opened the scoreline at Wembley and took the early lead. Gus Hamer led a blistering counter-attack and delivered a beautifully weighted ball into the path of Tyrese Campbell. The forward, who hadn’t found the net in eight matches, kept his composure and chipped Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson to give the Blades a 25th-minute lead.
Sheffield United looked in control, and they thought they had doubled their advantage when Harrison Burrows smashed home a volley from the edge of the box. However, VAR intervened. Vinicius Souza was deemed to be in an offside position and potentially obstructing the goalkeeper’s view, leading to the goal being disallowed after a pitchside review.
Sunderland are back in the Premier League 🤩 pic.twitter.com/IOabt3FpSe
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 24, 2025
The second half saw Sunderland make a comeback, and their persistent efforts paid off in the 76th minute as Eliezer Mayenda found the back of the net. The 20-year-old’s goal brought hope back to the Sunderland faithful and set the stage for a thrilling finish. The average age of the starting eleven at Wembley was just 23, highlighting the club’s commitment to developing talent rather than buying experience.
Watson’s fairytale goodbye
When Tommy Watson came off the bench, no one could have predicted that he would turn out to be the match winner. In the fifth minute of the added time, a loose touch from Sheffield United’s Kieffer Moore gifted Watson possession. The youngster surged forward, exploiting the disorganised defence, and finished coolly past goalkeeper Michael Cooper.
Tommy Watson scoring a 96th Minute winner at Wembley to take his boyhood club Sunderland to the Premier League is one of the moments of the season.
Unreal 👏 pic.twitter.com/pF3AbRqMJd
— Benny’s Football Tips (@BennyBoyTips) May 24, 2025
It was a moment straight out of a dream. Watson, who is a product of the Sunderland academy, had already agreed to join Brighton for £10 million after a failed January transfer attempt. He stayed on for the remainder of the season, which gave him the golden chance to say goodbye to his boyhood club and create one final memory. Watson now departs having not only helped Sunderland achieve promotion but also written his name in club history with one of the most valuable goals in football.
Sunderland’s Premier League return
The win marks Sunderland’s return to the Premier League after a seven-year break. The club’s relegation in 2017 ended a decade-long stay in the top flight and was followed by years of instability, but under the leadership of chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and new manager Regis Le Bris, Sunderland have rebuilt their identity.
The promotion also brings financial rewards of at least $295 million. This is just the participation fee earned by each club playing in the Premier League from the new broadcast deal that is set to come into effect from next season. Sunderland’s focus still remains on building a squad capable of competing at the top level. While they’ll need to add experience, the core of young, fearless players has reignited hope on Wearside.
Tommy Watson’s 95th-minute winner seals Sunderland’s 2-1 victory over Sheffield United in the play-off final securing Premier League promotion. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
