Coventry City ended their 25-year absence from the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers, securing promotion from the Championship with three games to spare on Friday.
Needing only a point to make it mathematically certain, Frank Lampard's league leaders salvaged a draw as Bobby Thomas headed a late equaliser at Ewood Park.
Blackburn had taken the lead shortly after the interval with a deflected shot by Ryoya Morishita.
The promotion party got going after Thomas's glancing header, and the final whistle sparked celebrations on the pitch and delirious scenes among the 7,500 travelling fans.
Coventry top the table with 86 points from 43 games, 13 ahead of third-placed Millwall, who can no longer catch them. Ipswich Town, Millwall, Southampton and Middlesbrough are battling for the second automatic promotion spot.
"It was an incredible moment (when Thomas scored)," former Chelsea and England midfielder Lampard told Sky Sports. "We knew we were nearly there, but to get it over the line after 25 years, wow! It's amazing. What (the fans) have gone through."
It was former England and Chelsea midfielder Lampard's first promotion as a manager, and he was clearly emotional as the achievement sank in.
"This is a serious football club. These boys have achieved something unique. This is right up there for me," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"This is a serious football club. These boys have achieved something unique. This is right up there for me," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"I was fortunate to be in great Chelsea teams, winning league titles and Champions Leagues, but to do this, I'm very proud to be their manager."
As well as regaining their place amongst the elite for the first time in a generation, promotion will have a massive financial impact for Coventry -- a club who have been through the mill since relegation a quarter of a century ago.
BROADCAST INCOME
Promotion from the Championship to the Premier League is worth around 120 million to 170 million pounds ($230 million) over three seasons, driven largely by a surge in broadcast income, with even the bottom club in the top flight earning more than 100 million pounds in central distributions in its first season.
On Friday, though, it was not the money but the pure joy for the visiting fans as Lampard's side completed the job.
Coventry spent 34 consecutive seasons in England's top flight after promotion in 1967 and survived countless relegation battles before succumbing in 2000-01 when they finished 19th in the Premier League.
Financial hard times followed, and they were relegated to the third tier in 2012 and were forced to ground share with Northampton Town after a rent dispute over their new stadium.
Coventry's low point on the pitch came in 2017, when they were relegated to the fourth tier for the first time since 1959. Although they were promoted the following season, they were again forced to play away from their stadium between 2019 and 2021, playing home games at Birmingham City's ground.
Coventry came close to a Premier League return twice, reaching the Championship playoff final in 2022-23 and bowing out in the semi-finals last season.
Lampard took charge in November 2024 and steered them to fifth in the Championship last season.