Josh Brownhill’s first-half double saw Burnley beat Sheffield United 2-1 at Turf Moor to seal the Clarets’ immediate return to the Premier League.
The Burnley captain gave his side a 28th-minute lead, firing home from close range after Michael Cooper was unable to hold Josh Cullen’s low drive.
Leeds and Burnley have been promoted to the Premier League
There would not be a Burnley clean sheet to equal Port Vale’s all-time record of 30 in a single season as Chris Wilder’s team hit back just nine minutes later when Tom Cannon rifled home his first goal for the club, only for Burnley to be given the chance to retake the lead a minute before half-time after Anel Ahmedhodzic’s clumsy challenge on Hannibal.
Brownhill made no mistake from the spot, sending Cooper the wrong way, to give Scott Parker’s team the lead at the break and despite the visitors going all out for a second-half equaliser, Burnley held on for the win that confirmed their promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
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Burnley and and head coach Scott Parker celebrate their promotion to the Premier League.
Parker made it three promotions with three different clubs in the space of six seasons as Burnley extended their unbeaten league run to a club-record 31 games, bouncing straight back to the Premier League just as they did after their last two relegations in 2015 and 2022.
Victory keeps Burnley – who are still to lose at Turf Moor all campaign – level with Leeds at the top of the table, both with a chance to finish on 100 points, but defeat for the Blades, their fourth in five games, means another trip to the dreaded play-offs.
The managers
Burnley’s Scott Parker:
“It means everything. We set on a mission to get promoted and there were a lot of ups and down. It has been nothing short of incredible.
“So proud of the young group, who have committed and given everything.
“We got to the Premier League. Hard work, as cliche as it sounds, but it’s the hard facts. I build my whole life on hard work and I tried to instil that in this group.
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Burnley boss Scott Parker gives a frank assessment of his season with the club and admits this promotion feels ‘more special’ than his other two
“They committed to it and with that, we have quality. The major thing for me is the togetherness. It has got us to the place we need to be.”
Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder:
“Congratulations to Leeds. Congratulations to Scott Parker and Burnley.
“We fell short. The season wasn’t done tonight, it was a poor week. You cannot lose three on the bounce, certainly not Plymouth, who are bottom of the league.
“We have another opportunity to get out of the division. We finished third in a competitive league.
“We were always in it but disappointing, obviously. They have done enough to win a game of football.
“For us to be around it is really good but we fell short.”
