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2023 EFL Championship play-off final

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2023 EFL Championship play-off final
Wembley Stadium in London hosted the final.
After extra time
Luton Town won 6–5 on penalties
Date27 May 2023 (2023-05-27)
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchElijah Adebayo (Luton Town)[1]
RefereeMichael Oliver
Attendance85,711
2022
2024

The 2023 EFL Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 27 May 2023 at Wembley Stadium, London, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2022–23 EFL Championship, Burnley and Sheffield United, gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth in the table took part in 2023 English Football League play-offs.[2] Success in the final has been estimated, by the accountancy company Deloitte, to be worth £170 million to the winning team over the next three seasons.[3]

The final was contested by Luton Town and Coventry City, who finished third and fifth respectively in the league season. The match was notable for the rapid ascent of both sides through the English league system, as both teams had played in League Two in the 2017–18 season.

With the score 1–1 after extra time with goals from Jordan Clark and Gustavo Hamer, Luton won the final on penalties to secure a return to the top flight after 31 seasons, and for the first time in the Premier League era, having been relegated the season prior to its formation.[4]

Route to the final

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EFL Championship final table, leading positions
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Burnley (C, P) 46 29 14 3 87 35 +52 101
2 Sheffield United (P) 46 28 7 11 73 39 +34 91
3 Luton Town (O, P) 46 21 17 8 57 39 +18 80
4 Middlesbrough 46 22 9 15 84 56 +28 75
5 Coventry City 46 18 16 12 58 46 +12 70
6 Sunderland 46 18 15 13 68 55 +13 69
Source: EFL Official Website
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Luton Town finished the regular 2022–23 season in third place in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system, two places and 10 points ahead of Coventry City. They both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premier League and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third and final promoted team.[5] Luton finished 11 points behind Sheffield United (who were promoted in second place) and 21 points behind league winners Burnley.[6]

In their play-off semi-final, Luton faced sixth-placed Sunderland with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on 13 May 2023. Luton took the lead in the 11th minute after Sunderland had failed to clear a corner and Elijah Adebayo scored from a rebounded shot after Alfie Doughty’s close range strike was saved by Anthony Patterson. Sunderland gained possession of midfield and Luton’s Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu fouled Patrick Roberts, resulting in a free kick. Alex Pritchard touched the ball to Amad Diallo, who curled the ball into the top corner of the net beyond Luton goalkeeper, Ethan Horvath who did not move, making the score 1–1 in the 39th minute. No further goals were scored in the first-half. Sunderland maintained their momentum in the second-half and in the 63rd minute, Trai Hume scored with a header from a Jack Clarke cross. Luton rallied towards the end of the second-half but were unable to score an equaliser and the game finished 2–1.[7] The second leg took place at Luton’s Kenilworth Road on 16 May with both clubs fielding the same starting elevens. Luton scored in the 10th minute when Tom Lockyer won the ball from a corner and the ball fell to Gabriel Osho who reacted quickly to score. Luton added a second in the 43rd minute when an inswinging cross by Alfie Doughty was met by Lockyer to head home and make the score 2–0. Luton’s tactic of putting high balls into the Sunderland penalty box continued to cause the Sunderland defence problems while Sunderland rarely troubled the Luton defence. No further goals were scored and Luton won 3–2 on aggregate winning a place in the final and a chance to return to the top tier of English football for the first time since 1992.[8]

In the other play-off semi-final, on 14 May, Coventry City played Middlesbrough in the first leg at the CBS Arena in Coventry. In a match described as both "poor and tense", Coventry failed to have a single shot on target. Middlesbrough managed only two shots on target but also failed to score as the match ended 0–0.[9] The second leg was played at the Riverside Stadium on 17 May. The only goal of the game came in the 57th minute when Middlesbrough lost possession on the half-way line. Coventry’s Viktor Gyökeres played the ball into space past Middlesbrough goalkeeper, Zack Steffen. Gustavo Hamer took control of the ball and hit a precise shot into the roof of the net. Middlesbrough pressed for an equaliser and they had the ball in the net with two minutes to go only for it to be ruled out for offside. Eight minutes of added time were played but Middlesbrough could not find a way past the Coventry defence and the game ended 1–0 to Coventry, the same aggregate scoreline which sent them through to the Wembley final against Luton Town.[10]

Coventry manager, Mark Robins described the final as "one for the romantics" due to the rise of both teams from the lower tiers of English football, both clubs having been in League Two as recently as the 2017–18 season.[11]

Match

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Background

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Summary

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Details

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Coventry City1–1 (a.e.t.)Luton Town
  • Hamer 66'
Report
Penalties
5–6
Attendance: 85,711
Coventry City
Luton Town
GK 13 England Ben Wilson
RB 16 Republic of Ireland Luke McNally Yellow card 46'
CB 5 England Kyle McFadzean
CB 14 England Ben Sheaf
LB 3 England Callum Doyle downward-facing red arrow 115'
CM 8 England Jamie Allen downward-facing red arrow 46'
CM 6 Scotland Liam Kelly (c)
CM 38 Netherlands Gustavo Hamer downward-facing red arrow 80'
RF 7 England Brooke Norton-Cuffy downward-facing red arrow 90'
CF 17 Sweden Viktor Gyökeres
LF 27 England Jake Bidwell
Substitutes:
GK 1 England Simon Moore
DF 2 England Jonathan Panzo upward-facing green arrow 115'
DF 11 England Josh Wilson-Esbrand
DF 23 England Fankaty Dabo upward-facing green arrow 90'
MF 28 England Josh Eccles upward-facing green arrow 102'
MF 45 Jamaica Kasey Palmer upward-facing green arrow 80' downward-facing red arrow 102'
FW 24 England Matt Godden upward-facing green arrow 46'
Head coach:
England Mark Robins
GK 34 United States Ethan Horvath
RB 13 Zimbabwe Marvelous Nakamba
CB 32 England Gabriel Osho downward-facing red arrow 112'
CB 4 Wales Tom Lockyer (c) downward-facing red arrow 12'
LB 29 Jamaica Amari'i Bell
DM 17 Democratic Republic of the Congo Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu downward-facing red arrow 98'
RM 2 England Cody Drameh
CM 18 England Jordan Clark Yellow card 99'
LM 45 England Alfie Doughty downward-facing red arrow 84'
CF 11 England Elijah Adebayo downward-facing red arrow 105'
CF 9 England Carlton Morris
Substitutes:
GK 1 England James Shea
DF 3 England Dan Potts upward-facing green arrow 112'
DF 16 England Reece Burke upward-facing green arrow 12'
MF 8 England Luke Berry upward-facing green arrow 98'
MF 22 Scotland Allan Campbell
MF 23 Nigeria Fred Onyedinma upward-facing green arrow 84'
FW 25 Wales Joe Taylor upward-facing green arrow 105'
Head coach:
Wales Rob Edwards

Man of the Match:
Elijah Adebayo (Luton Town)[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "'Win it 4 Lockyer' – the story of Luton's emotional Premier League promotion". The Athletic. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  2. ^ "EFL Key Dates". English Football League. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  3. ^ "The 'hard luck story' Championship play-off final". BBC Sport. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Luton Town win shootout to reach Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Sky Bet EFL Play-Off dates confirmed". EFL Official Website. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Sky Bet Championship Table". EFL Official Website. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Sunderland take first-leg lead with win over Luton". BBC Sport. 13 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Luton overpower Sunderland to reach play-off final". BBC Sport. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Coventry City held by Middlesbrough in first leg". BBC Sport. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Coventry beat Middlesbrough to make play-off final". BBC Sport. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Coventry-Luton final 'one for romantics' - Robins". BBC Sport. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.