2023 EFL Championship play-off final

2023 EFL Championship play-off final

Wembley Stadium in London hosted the final.
Coventry City Luton Town 1 1
After extra time Luton Town won 6–5 on penalties
Date	27 May 2023 (2023-05-27)
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Man of the Match	Elijah Adebayo (Luton Town)[1]
Referee	Michael Oliver
Attendance	85,711
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The 2023 EFL Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 27 May 2023 at Wembley Stadium, London, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2022–23 EFL Championship, Burnley and Sheffield United, gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth in the table took part in 2023 English Football League play-offs.^[2] Success in the final has been estimated, by the accountancy company Deloitte, to be worth £170 million to the winning team over the next three seasons.^[3]

The final was contested by Luton Town and Coventry City, who finished third and fifth respectively in the league season. The match was notable for the rapid ascent of both sides through the English league system, as both teams had played in League Two in the 2017–18 season.

With the score 1–1 after extra time with goals from Jordan Clark and Gustavo Hamer, Luton won the final on penalties to secure a return to the top flight after 31 seasons, and for the first time in the Premier League era, having been relegated the season prior to its formation.^[4]

Luton Town finished the regular 2022–23 season in third place in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system, two places and 10 points ahead of Coventry City. They both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premier League and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third and final promoted team.^[5] Luton finished 11 points behind Sheffield United (who were promoted in second place) and 21 points behind league winners Burnley.^[6]

In their play-off semi-final, Luton faced sixth-placed Sunderland with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on 13 May 2023. Luton took the lead in the 11th minute after Sunderland had failed to clear a corner and Elijah Adebayo scored from a rebounded shot after Alfie Doughty’s close range strike was saved by Anthony Patterson. Sunderland gained possession of midfield and Luton’s Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu fouled Patrick Roberts, resulting in a free kick. Alex Pritchard touched the ball to Amad Diallo, who curled the ball into the top corner of the net beyond Luton goalkeeper, Ethan Horvath who did not move, making the score 1–1 in the 39th minute. No further goals were scored in the first-half. Sunderland maintained their momentum in the second-half and in the 63rd minute, Trai Hume scored with a header from a Jack Clarke cross. Luton rallied towards the end of the second-half but were unable to score an equaliser and the game finished 2–1.^[7] The second leg took place at Luton’s Kenilworth Road on 16 May with both clubs fielding the same starting elevens. Luton scored in the 10th minute when Tom Lockyer won the ball from a corner and the ball fell to Gabriel Osho who reacted quickly to score. Luton added a second in the 43rd minute when an inswinging cross by Alfie Doughty was met by Lockyer to head home and make the score 2–0. Luton’s tactic of putting high balls into the Sunderland penalty box continued to cause the Sunderland defence problems while Sunderland rarely troubled the Luton defence. No further goals were scored and Luton won 3–2 on aggregate winning a place in the final and a chance to return to the top tier of English football for the first time since 1992.^[8]

In the other play-off semi-final, on 14 May, Coventry City played Middlesbrough in the first leg at the CBS Arena in Coventry. In a match described as both "poor and tense", Coventry failed to have a single shot on target. Middlesbrough managed only two shots on target but also failed to score as the match ended 0–0.^[9] The second leg was played at the Riverside Stadium on 17 May. The only goal of the game came in the 57th minute when Middlesbrough lost possession on the half-way line. Coventry’s Viktor Gyökeres played the ball into space past Middlesbrough goalkeeper, Zack Steffen. Gustavo Hamer took control of the ball and hit a precise shot into the roof of the net. Middlesbrough pressed for an equaliser and they had the ball in the net with two minutes to go only for it to be ruled out for offside. Eight minutes of added time were played but Middlesbrough could not find a way past the Coventry defence and the game ended 1–0 to Coventry, the same aggregate scoreline which sent them through to the Wembley final against Luton Town.^[10]

Coventry manager, Mark Robins described the final as "one for the romantics" due to the rise of both teams from the lower tiers of English football, both clubs having been in League Two as recently as the 2017–18 season.^[11]

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Coventry City

Luton Town

GK 13 Ben Wilson RB 16 Luke McNally  46' CB 5 Kyle McFadzean CB 14 Ben Sheaf LB 3 Callum Doyle  115' CM 8 Jamie Allen  46' CM 6 Liam Kelly (c) CM 38 Gustavo Hamer  80' RF 7 Brooke Norton-Cuffy  90' CF 17 Viktor Gyökeres LF 27 Jake Bidwell Substitutes: GK 1 Simon Moore DF 2 Jonathan Panzo  115' DF 11 Josh Wilson-Esbrand DF 23 Fankaty Dabo  90' MF 28 Josh Eccles  102' MF 45 Kasey Palmer  80'  102' FW 24 Matt Godden  46' Head coach: Mark Robins

GK 34 Ethan Horvath RB 13 Marvelous Nakamba CB 32 Gabriel Osho  112' CB 4 Tom Lockyer (c)  12' LB 29 Amari'i Bell DM 17 Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu  98' RM 2 Cody Drameh CM 18 Jordan Clark  99' LM 45 Alfie Doughty  84' CF 11 Elijah Adebayo  105' CF 9 Carlton Morris Substitutes: GK 1 James Shea DF 3 Dan Potts  112' DF 16 Reece Burke  12' MF 8 Luke Berry  98' MF 22 Allan Campbell MF 23 Fred Onyedinma  84' FW 25 Joe Taylor  105' Head coach: Rob Edwards