Hull City were promoted to the Premier League in dramatic fashion when Oli McBurnie’s last-gasp goal won a 1-0 triumph over Middlesbrough in Saturday’s Championship play-off final, putting an end to the ‘spygate’ scandal that clouded world football’s wealthiest match.
McBurnie took advantage of a mistake by Middlesbrough goalkeeper Sol Brynn to score the winning goal in the waning moments of the second half at Wembley.
Hull will return to the Premier League for the first time since 2016-17, capping off an astonishing turnaround just 12 months after avoiding relegation to the third tier on goal difference.
McBurnie’s late goal sealed the deal for Hull, with football financial experts Deloitte projecting that the play-off final winners will earn at least £205 million ($275 million) over the next three seasons from higher match-day, broadcast, and commercial earnings.
That figure might climb to about £365 million if the club survives its first season in the Premier League.
Football League officials will hope Hull’s triumph puts a stop to the crisis that engulfed the second-tier play-offs when Southampton was thrown out for reporting a training session with Middlesbrough prior to their semi-final first leg.
Southampton defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate, advancing to the final against Hull.
However, the Saints were expelled on Tuesday after an independent committee determined that its supervisor, Tonda Eckert, had “specifically authorized” the espionage.
Southampton committed to “multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorized filming of other clubs’ training,” according to the English Football League.
Southampton’s CEO, Phil Parsons, stated that the punishments were “manifestly disproportionate.”
The row had given Middlesbrough a second chance to gain promotion, but they were unable to exploit the opportunity as Hull battled to a hard-fought victory in searing heat.
That will come as a comfort to many at Football League headquarters, after Hull owner Acun Ilicali threatened legal action if the Tigers failed to beat Middlesbrough.
Sergej Jakirovic’s squad is the first sixth-placed team to earn promotion through the second-tier play-offs since Blackpool in 2010.
The Tigers, who defeated third-place Millwall to reach the final, have been the division’s surprise package all season.
They were slammed with a three-window transfer embargo last year, which was later reduced to two following a successful appeal, but they defied expectations by snatching a play-off spot on the final day of the season.
Hull were well-suited to the underdog role at Wembley Stadium, given their surprising rebirth under Bosnian manager Jakirovic.
They spent much of the first half on the back foot, as Middlesbrough dominated with more than 70% possession.
However, the Tigers’ counter-attacking strategy guaranteed they remained a persistent threat.
Liam Millar’s cross found Lewie Coyle for a header that Brynn tipped over.
For all their territorial domination, Middlesbrough were ineffective for extended stretches, and Hull’s Mohamed Belloumi nearly punished them with a long-range curler that went just wide.
The burly McBurnie got even closer, rising to meet Ryan Giles’ cross with a header that hit the crossbar.
Middlesbrough finally broke through the Hull defense on the stroke of halftime, but David Strelec’s effort from 20 yards went just wide.
Dael Fry should have put Middlesbrough ahead shortly after the break, but the defender headed wide from close range.
Searing temperatures at Wembley sapped both teams’ vitality in a sluggish second half, leading Hellberg to bring on Hayden Hackney for the final 20 minutes of normal time.
However, Hackney, the Championship Player of the Year, had been out with a calf injury since March 14 and was unable to make an impact.
Instead, McBurnie threw Hull into a trance long into stoppage time, poking home from close range after Brynn mishandled Yu Hirakawa’s cross.
