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Leicester City have regained their Premier League status after sealing automatic promotion from the Championship.
Going into the penultimate round of fixtures, the Foxes needed to win one of their remaining two matches to go up, while their return could be sealed even sooner if Leeds lost at Queens Park Rangers.
And on Friday night, their fate was confirmed at the earliest opportunity as Daniel Farke’s side were beaten 4-0 in West London, with Ilias Chair and Lucas Andersen netting first-half goals for the hosts before Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field sealed the win.
In the immediate aftermath of the final whistle at Loftus Road, Leicester’s social media account shared a video of the players rejoicing, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall leading the animated celebrations.
The 25-year-old midfielder then revealed that there are no signs of the celebrations slowing down among the squad, writing on X: ‘Right… who’s out in Leicester tonight?’
Leicester have won Premier League promotion in the penultimate week of the Championship
Leeds’ defeat against QPR sealed the Foxes’ return to the top flight with two games remaining
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could be seen leading celebrations with his teammates on the club’s X account
Meanwhile Wilfred Ndidi wrote: ‘Congratulations to me, the boys, the staff the club and the amazing fans.. 2 more to go!!! We back!!’
Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen added: ‘We are going up, We are going up’
Stephy Mavididi wrote: ‘Is it still to early? PREMIER LEAGUE BABY’
The result confirms a positive end to what has been an up-and-down season for the King Power Stadium outfit.
Leicester now enter their final two games of the campaign knowing victories away at Preston on Monday and at home to Blackburn on the final day of the season would secure the Championship title.
The squad were quick to share their excitement on social media following the full-time whistle at Loftus Road
Enzo Maresca’s side looked certain to bounce straight back to the Premier League – they were 17 points clear of Leeds at the turn of the year – before an almighty wobble saw them lose six times in 10 matches through February to April.
But a 2-1 win over play-off hopefuls West Brom on April 20 took them back to the top of the table and Tuesday’s 5-0 triumph over Southampton meant their fate was firmly in their hands.
Speaking after their midweek demolition over the Saints, Maresca said: ‘It has been a long season, 51 official matches,’ Maresca said. ‘Before tonight’s game, we didn’t know how many points we needed. Two, three, four, five, they lose, they win, who knows?
Foxes fans can rejoice as their team now looks towards sealing the Championship title
Leicester manager Enzo Maresca has achieved his main objective and can play for next season
‘The good feeling about tonight is now we know that with one win you get promoted. Two days off, recovery, and then we start to prepare for Preston, which is the next one and the most important.
‘We’re looking just now to get promoted (not at the title). It doesn’t matter where, first or second. But in this moment, the most important thing is to win one more game to get promoted.’
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
