Ipswich back in Premier League after 22 years
Ipswich returned to the Premier League for the first time in more than two decades after beating Huddersfield 2-0 to secure promotion from the Championship on Saturday. Goals from Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson ensured the Tractor Boys became just the fourth side in the Premier League era to go from the third to the top tier via consecutive promotions. Leeds needed an Ipswich defeat coupled with victory over Southampton to leap into the top two. But Daniel Farke's men lost 2-1 to Saints at Elland Road, meaning he will come up against old club Norwich in the playoff semi-finals. Ipswich's most famous fan Ed Sheeran, who sponsors the club's shirts, was not in attendance for wild scenes of celebration at Portman Road as fans poured on to the pitch and lit blue flares at full-time. The Suffolk club, which was sold to American investors for just 40 million pounds (HK$391.96 million), will now pocket at least 200 million pounds in television revenue in the coming years. Ipswich's rise was masterminded by boss Kieran McKenna, who has earned rave reviews in his first managerial role. McKenna failed to make the grade as a Tottenham player due to a hip injury. But the 37-year-old thrived as a youth academy coach with Tottenham and then Manchester United. He was promoted to help coach United's first-team by Jose Mourinho and retained that role under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford before joining Ipswich in 2021. "It means a lot, mostly seeing how much it means to everyone, the players, the supporters. To be one of the leaders of that is absolutely massive," McKenna said. "It's a wonderful day, I'm very proud of everyone involved. It's what we've done all year. It's an incredible amount of effort." (AFP)