Coventry and Sunderland in playoffs; Burnley hit 101 points | OneFootball

The 2022-23 Championship season came to an end on Monday. Here is what went down.

Playoff drama

Luton Town and Middlesbrough had claimed two of four spots before kick-off on Monday, but five teams had the chance to claim the final two.

Coventry finish fifth by skin of their teeth

Scorers: Archer 45+3′; Hamer 22′

Coventry City managed to claim one playoff spot despite dropping points at Middlesbrough in a nervy draw.

The league’s Player of the Month for April, Gustavo Hamer, opened the scoring for 1-0 from 18 yards out, but the hosts rallied back through Cameron Archer after a scramble just before the break.

The result means Middlesbrough finished fourth while Coventry sit fifth in the table.

Late push sees Sunderland finish sixth

Scorers: Diallo 54′, Pritchard 61′, Clarke 65′

Sunderland had to find their scoring touch in the second half to beat Preston and dramatically claim the final playoff spot.

Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo scored a stunning curling effort from outside the box for 1-0 before Alex Pritchard doubled things from the edge of the box, and Jack Clarke added a third with a low drive.

And despite playoff rivals Blackburn pulling off a stunning 4-3 comeback win from 3-1 down against fellow promotion hopefuls Millwall, Sunderland survived on goal difference.

Blackburn finished seventh with Millwall – who began the day in the playoff spots – finishing eighth.

Burnley hit 101 points

Scorers: Brownhill 27′, Barnes 31′, Twine 57′

Burnley and Sheffield United had already secured automatic promotion by finishing in the top two, and the champions hit 101 points with a win over Cardiff City.

Josh Brownhill opened the scoring before assisting Ashley Barnes, who hit the ball under the crossbar on his final Burnley appearance at Turf Moor, and Scott Twine’s free-kick added a third.

It means the Clarets are only the sixth-ever side to crack 100 points in the Championship and look to be a true threat in the top-flight next season under Vincent Kompany, who just signed a new contract until 2028.

Other results…

Before kick-off on Monday, Reading, Blackpool and Wigan were relegated.