Ghanian winger Christian Atsu was on the scoresheet for Newcastle United who beat Preston North End 4-1 to secure an automatic promotion spot back to the English Premier League.
The Magpies opened the score in the 7th minute through Spanish forward Ayoze Perez giving them a glimpse of hope after a disappointing run of three games without a win.
The celebrations were however cut short in the 14th minute when Jordan Hugill flicked in a Tom Barkhuizen cross into the far left corner of the net bringing back the sides to level terms.
Newcastle who has struggled over the recent weeks was not to be denied this time with Christian Atsu keeping his composure to restore the lead just before half-time.
With Atus’s goal, Newcastle looked confident controlling the game’s tempo for most of the second half. The team killed off the game later in the second half with a penalty from Matt Ritchie awarded after Paul Gallagher held the ball in the box.
With Gallagher’s straight red card for the handball, Newcastle finished off the game in style two minutes later through Ayo Perez’s second of the night to take the final score to 4-1.
The magpies who suffered relegation to the Championship at the end of last season has had a poor run over the last seven games winning only three but a strong showing against Preston North End has officially sealed its promotion.
There is still a chance of beating Brighton and Hove to the title if Newcastle wins at Cardiff and out plays Barnsley at home in the next two fixtures.
With Brighton and Newcastle taking the two automatic spots, attention now turns to the one remaining spot that’s won via the playoffs.
Reading, Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield, Fulham, and Leeds all still stand a chance of qualifying for the playoffs but the next two fixtures for each side will decide who drops out of the top six.
Featured photo: Getty Images
