Sunderland staged an incredible comeback to beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the Championship playoff final with substitute Tom Watson sending them back to the Premier League by scoring the winner deep in stoppage time at Wembley on Saturday.
Watson drilled in a superb low finish from outside the penalty area to end the club’s eight-season absence from the top flight league.
Their second of the game, 14 minutes from time, saw Eliezer Mayenda equalize almost out of nothing after Tyrese Campbell had given Sheffield United a first-half lead.
“I can’t really put it into words. … It’s unbelievable,” Watson, who will be joining Brighton in the summer, told Sky Sports postmatch. “We’ll see each other next year in the Premier League, in the big time.
“I’ve been thinking about this [contributing in the playoff final] for weeks, I think it was written, I couldn’t have pictured it any better.
“I got closed down, saw a little gap and just used him [to curl into the corner].”
Victory in what is widely-regarded as the richest game in world football means Sunderland will benefit to the tune of 220 million pounds (USD 297.79 million) in extra revenue thanks to the Premier League’s lucrative TV rights deals.
Finances were the last thing on the minds of the Sunderland fans though when Watson sparked ecstatic scenes of joy.
