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EFL: Norwich City and Sheffield United promoted to the Premier League

Leeds and Aston Villa play out a crazy 1-1 draw

Mario Vrancic celebrates his goal for Norwich
Mario Vrancic celebrates his goal for NorwichCredit: Stephen Pond

Norwich will return to the Premier League after gaining promotion from the Sky Bet Championship and bookmakers believe they have a decent chance of staying in the top flight.

City's 2-1 win over Blackburn at Carrow Road completed the job for Daniel Farke's side, who are 8-11 with bet365 to maintain their Premier League status.

The Canaries, who had been 8-1 to go up at the start of the season, are 10-1 to finish in the top ten and an unlikely 2,000-1 to win the title. It's evens they are relegated at the first attempt back in the big time.

Sheffield United have also been promoted to the Premier League after Leeds and Aston Villa, who could meet again in the Championship playoffs, played out a crazy 1-1 draw in which Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa told his team to allow Villa to score an unopposed equaliser.

Bielsa's side had taken the lead in the final 20 minutes in contentious fashion as Villa forward Jonathan Kodjia was lying prone in midfield and Leeds would not kick the ball out of play.

Villa's players reacted furiously and in a mass melee that followed, defender Anwar El Ghazi was shown a red card.

Chaos ensued as rival players and benches squared off in heated debate before Bielsa instructed his players to allow Villa to walk in an equaliser from the restart, with Albert Adomah tapping home.

The result meant Sheffield United were promoted, Leeds must settle for the playoffs and Villa's club record ten-game winning run was ended.

Rotherham, who were 5-4 favourites for relegation at the start of the season, lost their battle for survival following a 2-1 reverse at West Brom.

The League One title race will go down to the final day with Luton and Barnsley locked together on 91 points after Town suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at mid-table Burton.


Sky Bet League Two standings


Luton, who host Oxford, have a superior goal difference of four and are 4-11 with Sky Bet to top the league. Barnsley travel to Bristol Rovers rated 3-1 shots.

Portsmouth's 1-1 draw at Sunderland means they are best placed to take advantage should either of the top two lose on the final day. Kenny Jackett's side are 8-1 for the title and 2-1 for automatic promotion.

League Two's second-placed side Bury had a brilliant day despite not playing following the postponement of their game at Tranmere due to a waterlogged pitch. Nearest promotion challengers MK Dons, Mansfield and Forest Green all lost.

MK Dons host Mansfield in the final round of games with the winners going up automatically. A draw may do the Stags depending on results elsewhere, while Bury realistically need only one more point to follow champions Lincoln up to League One.

Yeovil's fun in the EFL is over. A 2-2 draw at Northampton combined with wins for Notts County at home to Grimsby and Macclesfield away to Port Vale saw the Glovers, who had been 7-2 ante-post for relegation, return to the non-league arena.

They will be replaced by National League champions Leyton Orient who secured their spot back in the Football League thanks to a goalless draw against Braintree.


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