Southampton have secured a return to the Premier League with a well-earned 1-0 win over Leeds United in the Championship play-off final.
Southampton were excellent to a man, as they were the better side with a dogged defensive display after taking a 1-0 lead through Adam Armstrong‘s clinical strike in the first half.
That was Armstrong’s 24th – and most important- goal of the season after Will Smallbone threaded through a perfectly weighted ball for him to beat the Leeds offside trap and fire past Illan Meslier.
Manager Russell Martin deserves enormous credit for the way he has steered Southampton to play-off glory and the Saints have now achieved something for just the fourth time with the Wembley win.
Leeds win Southampton’s 30th of the season
The victory over Leeds – the third over Daniel Farke’s side this season – was Southampton’s 30th win of the campaign in all competitions.
This is quite remarkable given the Saints have played a total of 54 games this seasons, meaning that they have won almost 60% of their fixtures.
This was, of course, the most important win of them all, but each played its part in getting Martin’s side closer to the goal of reaching the Premier League, whether that be through points in the league or lessons learned in the cups.
The other three occasions in which the club have achieved this feat as a Football League club were actually in three consecutive years as Southampton began their ascent from League One to the Premier League.
These were the 2009/10 season (32) , 2010/11 (32), and 2011-12 (30).
Russell Martin continues to make Southampton history
This achievement represents another slice of history for Martin in his first year at the club, having overseen a record-breaking 25-game unbeaten run from the end of September to early February.
Remarkably, even with this run, his side only finished fourth in the Championship, but they managed to get the job done at Wembley to ensure they are the third team heading to the Premier League.
Given the riches and obvious quality associated with the other sides in the top flight, it will be incredibly difficult for Martin to break any more records in his second season at the club, however his only concern next season will likely be staying in the division.
If Southampton are able to do that, then they can look to progress and become a stable Premier League club.