Burnley secured an immediate return to the Premier League as they earned automatic promotion with a 2-1 victory against Middlesbrough on Friday.
Vincent Kompany’s side sealed their return to England’s top-flight with seven games remaining of the campaign following a dominant season in the Championship as they sit 11 points clear at the top of the table. The promotion comes in the former Manchester City captain’s first season in charge at the club after taking over as manager last summer.
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A 0-0 draw between fellow promotion hopefuls Luton Town and Millwall earlier on Friday meant that a win against Boro would seal promotion for Burnley with the club going 19 points clear of third place.
Ashley Barnes set the Lancashire side on their way to promotion-clinching victory with his side’s opening goal against Boro on 12 minutes.
Chuba Akpom’s equalising penalty three minutes after half-time looked like it could delay Burnley’s celebrations however Connor Roberts put the Championship leaders back in front midway through the second half and they saw out the tightly fought affair to claim their 25th league victory of the season.
Kompany’s side suffered a tough start to the 2022-23 season with just one win in their opening five matches following their relegation from the Premier League last campaign. But since that run, they have only suffered one league defeat while also reaching the quarterfinals of the FA Cup — where they eventually lost 6-0 to Premier League champions City.
Burnley have caught the eye with a marked change in style from what was previously showcased under long-serving manager Sean Dyche in the Premier League. Kompany’s side’s high-tempo, possession-based game has yielded many entertaining matches as they hold both the best attacking and defensive record of any side in the division.
The club are on course to hit 100 points, a feat which has not been achieved in England’s second tier since Leicester City‘s 102-point campaign in the 2013-14 season.
Burnley are on 84 points and face second-placed Sheffield United on Monday.