Vincent Co.’s Burnley secured their return to the Premier League at the first attempt with victory over fourth-placed Middlesbrough.
The Clarets, unbeaten in the league since November, took an early lead when Ashley Barnes redirected Josh Brownhill’s low shot into the back of the net.
The home side equalized just after half-time when Championship top scorer Chuba Akpom scored from the spot after Josh Cullen brought down Cameron Archer in the penalty area.
Connor Roberts headed home the winner from a near post cross from Nathan Tella and Kompany’s men comfortably saw out the rest of the game to wild celebrations on the pitch and among their traveling fans.
Victory for the East Lancashire side sent them 19 points clear of third-placed Luton, who have six games remaining.
Kompany left Belgian top-flight side Anderlecht to take over at Turf Moor after they were relegated on the final day of last season, and the 36-year-old former Manchester City defender has enjoyed a near-flawless debut campaign.
They have become the first English Football League side to secure promotion in 2022-23, despite massive player changes in the summer following the end of their six-year spell in the Premier League, from 25 October in the table. is at the top. .
The Lancashire side now need just 11 points from their last seven games to clinch the title, while in 13 they will become the first Championship side to break the 100-point barrier since Leicester City in 2013-14.
The Clarets host second-placed Sheffield United, the last team to beat them in a league game 19 matches ago, on Monday.
It was a second successive damaging defeat for fourth-placed Middlesbrough and they are nine points behind the Blades, who have played a game less.
A fine vintage of record-breaking Clarets
Burnley have now won promotion to the Premier League in the second tier in each of their last three seasons.
However, it looks very different from their previous achievements under long-serving boss Shaun Dye, who was coincidentally sacked on Good Friday last year.
From the first game of the season, when they saw off Huddersfield in the Championship opener back in July, it was apparent that they would be playing a more possession-based game than Dyche employed.
They lost at Watford in the third game of the campaign and had just six points from their first five matches, but Kompany did not give up and a 16-match unbeaten run sent them top of the league.
A heavy 5-2 defeat at Sheffield United did not derail them, as they secured a 3-0 win against East Lancashire rivals Blackburn in their next game.
They picked up where they left off after the World Cup break and equaled a club record with a 10-game winning streak that saw them open a huge gap on the chasing pack.
No side has won promotion to the Premier League since the second tier was rebranded in 2004 with seven games remaining – and Burnley now look to secure the title, breaking the 100-point barrier at home in the Championship. Will become the first team to remain unbeaten. season since Newcastle United in 2009–10.
A parting gift from veteran Barnes
Given the turnaround the company has overseen since taking charge, it was somewhat ironic that it was the combination of two players who were there when he took over that gave them the upper hand.
Brownhill’s low strike from the edge of the area was going in anyway but 33-year-old Barnes, who has now won promotion to the Premier League three times with the club, got a foot out to redirect it and Boro keeper Zach left Stephen without a chance.
Barnes said after the game that he would leave the Clarets in the summer after nine years, saying it was “the end of an era” and “it was time for him to move on”.
Teila missed a glorious chance to double their lead before the break when he fired wide after being played in behind the home defence.
Akpom’s 27th goal of the season brought Michael Carrick’s men back into it and they enjoyed a spell of dominance thereafter.
However, they couldn’t create another real chance of note and were opened up by a pass into the inside-right channel for Boro loanee Roberts to finish before Teila put it on a plate to score. Did you score?
Akpom had a last-minute chance to delay Burnley’s celebrations for at least a few days, but he pushed back.
There was a sour note when Clarets midfielder Johan Berg Gudmundsson was hit by a coin toss from the Middlesbrough end during the league leaders’ second goal celebrations.
Back-to-back defeats for the Teessiders mean they will almost certainly have to go through the play-offs if they are to join Burnley in the Premier League next season.
