Leicester City’s promotion back to the Premier League was confirmed on Friday without them even playing a match.
Instead, it was Leeds United’s unexpected 4-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers that secured Enzo Maresca’s team’s return to the top flight. Leeds, who were in second place, needed to avoid losing in order to prevent Leicester from being promoted that evening.
However, Queens Park Rangers had other plans and quickly took a 2-0 lead with goals from Ilias Chair and Lucas Andersen within the first 22 minutes. Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field added two more goals in 73 and 86 minutes, sealing the victory as Leicester’s promotion was secured.
Leicester is currently in first place in the Championship after playing 44 games and cannot drop below second place because Leeds have already played their second-to-last game and cannot surpass them.
Ipswich Town, another team vying for automatic promotion, is just one point behind Leeds with two games in hand. If Ipswich wins against Hull City on Saturday, it won’t guarantee them a spot in the Premier League after 22 years, but another win against Coventry City would secure their promotion.
