I spy a Tigers win at Wembley

Hull City won 1-0 against Middlesbrough in the play-off final at Wembley to book a place in next season’s Premier League.

Hull had beaten Millwall to reach Wembley after finishing sixth in the league, meanwhile Middlesbrough had actually lost their semi-final against Southampton. However, Saints were kicked out of the final following investigations into spying—something they’d been found to have done three times.

With ‘Spygate’ somewhat overshadowing the build-up to the game, and Middlesbrough being added to the final in place of Southampton, it was actually Boro who started the better of the two sides.

It was a relatively slow burner to start with. Boro had an early chance through Aidan Morris, but his effort was dragged wide. Hull midfielder Ryan Giles had a chance of his own against his former side, but he could only blast the ball over the bar.

Hull came close again, but Sol Brynn was able to charge the ball down and clear it away to safety. Not too long after, Oli McBurnie had arguably the best chance of the half when his effort struck the crossbar.

Middlesbrough had one last real opportunity in the first half, but David Strelec could only drag his shot wide without truly testing Ivor Pandur in the Hull goal.

At half-time the score remained nil-nil; the game hadn’t exactly been a classic by any means. It had been a relatively cagey affair and certainly a slow burner.

Kim Hellberg’s side started the second half fairly brightly. Morgan Whittaker looked to force early chances but couldn’t find a way through. Hull, however, soon created an opportunity of their own; they worked the ball well before a decent cross was met by Matt Crooks, though his header fell narrowly wide.

Mohamed Belloumi was next to threaten for Hull as he forced a good save from Brynn. Up at the other end, Pandur was soon forced into a spectacular save of his own to deny Sontje Hansen, though Hansen had actually been flagged for offside in the build-up.

It had been an extremely hot afternoon at Wembley, and both sides made good use of their benches as the game approached the final 10 minutes. Middlesbrough brought on Hayden Hackney, who seemed intent on making things happen for his side. His introduction boosted the fans, who began to roar the players on from the far end of the stadium.

Joe Gelhardt came close for Hull as his shot on the turn edged narrowly wide, much to the relief of the Middlesbrough fans situated behind the goal.

There were eight minutes of added time, and just as everyone began to prepare themselves for extra time, the game saw its defining moment.

A relatively comfortable ball was played into the box, but Sol Brynn failed to deal with it, palming the ball directly into the path of Oli McBurnie. The Scot leathered the ball into the back of the net. It was an absolute howler from the keeper, but Hull and their fans couldn’t have cared less as they celebrated the moment that secured their promotion.

Middlesbrough tried desperately to apply late pressure, aiming long, direct balls into dangerous areas, but they simply couldn’t find a way to level the game. With that, referee Jared Gillett brought an end to proceedings.

Hull can celebrate promotion to the top flight just a year after they were nearly relegated to League One. They’ve overcome a transfer embargo to cap off a remarkable campaign, becoming the first side to finish sixth and win promotion since 2010—which is even more incredible when you factor in that they were outside the play-off places until the final day of the season.

The Tigers have won the ‘richest game in football’, supposedly worth around £200m. They’ve also capped off a brilliant three-peat after winning their previous two play-off appearances at Wembley in 2008 and 2016 (all three wins being 1-0). Meanwhile, for Middlesbrough, it is now six games at Wembley without a win dating back to the 1990s. They will remain in the Championship next season, where they’ll be welcoming Lincoln and Cardiff rather than Liverpool and Chelsea.