LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Southampton clinched promotion back to the Premier League after 1-0 win against Leeds in the Championship play-off final on Sunday.
The victory means Super Eagles of Nigeria midfielder, Aribo and the Saints make an immediate return to the English Premier League after a one-year-exile.
Armstrong’s first-half strike at Wembley ensured Southampton erased the bitter taste of last year’s relegation from the top-flight with an immediate return.
Aribo, who has been integral to Southampton reaching the play-offs, was in the thick of midfield action as his team held off Leeds early on before conjuring a goal out of nothing before the half-hour mark.
The hero of the day Amstrong latched on to a through ball from Will Smallbone before placing his shot beyond the goalkeeper into the bottom corner for what proved to be the winner. The goal is his 24th of the season.
Leeds United lost both home and away to Southampton in the regular season and it was no different here despite their best attempts.
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Dan James hit the crossbar and also forced a good save in added time but it was Southampton, in their first-ever play-off final, that held on for an immediate return to the EPL.
Victory in football’s single richest match will give Southampton an estimated £140 million ($178 million) windfall due to the increases in matchday, broadcast and commercial revenue for clubs who reach the Premier League.
Financial experts Deloitte say Southampton could eventually bank £305 million if they avoid relegation next season.
While the cash prize is a huge bonus, it is the prestige of competing with Manchester City and Arsenal, rather than second-tier minnows like Plymouth and Oxford, that fuelled Southampton’s hunger to regain their Premier League status after a year in purgatory.
Southampton, whose only major honour is the 1976 FA Cup, had spent 11 years in the Premier League prior to their relegation.