After Leeds got thumped 4-0 in their penultimate Championship fixture, Ghana international Isahaku Fatawu’s Leicester City have won promotion back to the Premier League a year after they got relegated.
The youngster’s heroics on Tuesday against Southampton, where he scored a hat-trick, pushed the Foxes closer to promotion.
They were well aware that if Leeds lost their game against Queens Park Rangers — who are also fighting for survival at the bottom of the Championship table — their promotion would be sealed.
Goals from Ilias Chair, Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes, and Sam Field condemned Leeds United to a shocking 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday night.
The defeat made it impossible for Leeds United to Leapfrog Leicester City into first or second place, which means that the Foxes will not finish lower than second place, with the first and second place finishes being automatic promotion spots.
Straight back up, Leicester City! 🦊 pic.twitter.com/j89S1qiuqB
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 26, 2024
Leicester City fans can now breathe a sigh of relief, as the Foxes nearly bottled it, after losing their form towards the business end of the campaign.
At a point, the Foxes were 12 points clear at the top of the Championship table, but after struggling to maintain their momentum, with four losses and just one win from six matches, they nearly gave it all away.
The slump gave the likes of Leeds United, Ipswich Town, and Southampton the opportunity to overtake them, but bad results from the chasing pack allowed Leicester to turn things around.
After Tuesday’s 5-0 hammering of Southampton, the Foxes finally managed back-to-back wins, which pushed them closer to a swift return to the Premier League.
Issahaku Fatawu’s Leicester have sealed automatic promotion, but they will now set their sights on winning the Championship title.
The battle for the title is now effectively between Leicester and third-placed Ipswich Town, who have three games more to play. They currently have 89 points against Leicester City’s 94 points.
The Foxes need four more points from their remaining two games to clinch the Championship title.
Issahaku Fatawu is having a season to be proud of after his loan move from Sporting Lisbon in August 2023. There have been reports that Leicester City would sign him permanently.
After 38 appearances in all competitions, the Ghana star has made 18 goal contributions; scoring 12 goals with 6 assists.
The Foxes’ promotion is being celebrated by many, but Leicester City could start their Premier League campaign on negative points after the Premier League referred them to an independent commission in March over alleged breaches of the league’s profit and sustainability rules.
They could be deducted some points. Everton and Nottingham Forest have already suffered points deduction in the Premier League.