Soccer

Kieran McKenna guides Ipswich Town into Premier League

Leeds United must take playoff route in bid to return to top flights; Sammi Szmodics double keeps Blackburn up

Omari Hutchinson celebrates after scoring Ipswich Town's second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between against Huddersfield Town at Portman Road. Photograph: Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Omari Hutchinson celebrates after scoring Ipswich Town's second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between against Huddersfield Town at Portman Road. Photograph: Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Sat May 04 2024 - 14:48

Goals from Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson fired Ipswich back into the Premier League for the first time in 22 years with the 2-0 win over Huddersfield also confirming the Terriers’ relegation.

That result negated anything third-placed Leeds, who began the day three points behind, could manage – which turned out to be a 2-1 home defeat to the team immediately below them, Southampton.

After four defeats in their last six matches Daniel Farke’s team are the first second-tier side since Sunderland in 1998 to earn 90 points or more and not go up automatically.

West Brom’s 3-0 win over Preston secured fifth place, overtaking Norwich who claimed the final playoff place despite a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham, who were still consigned to the third tier for the first time since 1995 as fellow strugglers Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn all won.

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Republic of Ireland international Sammie Szmodics scored twice in Blackburn’s 2-0 win at champions Leicester, making in 27 league goals for the Championship’s top scorer. It ended Leicester’s chance to reach 100 points and equal a 104-year record of 32 wins in a second division season.

Leeds’ costly late-season stumble continued although Joel Piroe quickly cancelled out Adam Armstrong’s 18th-minute opener with Ireland international Will Smallbone adding Saints’ second 10 minutes before half-time.

And there was even greater disappointment at St Andrews where although Birmingham did all they could with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Paik Seung-Ho other results conspired against them.

The club were sixth in the table when they sacked John Eustace and replaced him with Wayne Rooney in October but that was start of the slide into League One as they won just eight matches after that point.

Even another change of manager could not arrest the slide, although Tony Mowbray’s ill health was an additional complication.

Plymouth’s 1-0 win over Hull, courtesy of Joe Edwards’s goal, and Wednesday’s win at Sunderland, where Liam Palmer and Josh Windass were on target, confirmed Blues fans’ worst fears.

Alex Mowatt, Kyle Bartley and Darnell Furlong all scored to rubber-stamp West Brom’s playoff place, which effectively closed the door on Hull.

Bottom side Rotherham signed off in style with only their fifth win of the season as Jordan Hugill and Tom Eaves both scored twice against Cardiff, Sam Nombe adding the other, after Nat Phillips and Ollie Tanner had briefly made it 2-2.

Stoke recorded their biggest win of the season as Million Manhoef scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Bristol City for their third successive victory, Luke Cundle and Tyrese Campbell adding the others.

QPR made it five wins from their final eight games by beating Coventry 2-1 after first-half goals from Ilias Chair and Morgan Fox, with Jamie Allen responding for the hosts.

Casper De Norre scored the only goal as Millwall beat Swansea, with Swans’ Jerry Yates and Lions’ Japhet Tanganga both red-carded for an off-the-ball incident, with Middlesbrough 3-1 victors at home to Watford as Emmanuel Latte Lath scored his 11th goal in 12 games.