Tommy Watson was bound for the Premier League this summer regardless, but the teenage goal ace is taking Sunderland with him.
Watson, who has agreed a £10 million end-of-season move to Brighton, came off the bench to settle the Championship play-off final at Wembley with a wonderful goal in the 95th minute.
It completed a spectacular turnaround for the Wearsiders, who trailed from midway through the first half until Eliezer Mayenda’s equaliser in the 76th minute.
The £200m windfall from a return to the Premier League for the first time since relegation in 2017.
Watson’s winner crushed Sheffield United, still searching for their first promotion via the playoffs and for their first Wembley win in 100 years.
The Blades had set off with great purpose and were almost ahead inside two minutes, denied by a fabulous Anthony Patterson save. Gustavo Hamer delivered from the left and Kieffer Moore climbed high to win it in the air.
Patterson reacted brilliantly, down to his left to claw out a powerful downward header but central defender Luke O’Nien damaged a shoulder in his desperation trying to push Moore in flight and put him off.
There was a stoppage of more than five minutes for treatment and although it could not prevent O’Nien’s early departure it did take the wind from Sheffield United’s sails.
Sunderland slowly found some rhythm, but no sooner did Mayenda set off on a threatening run and win a corner than they went behind, conceding a goal on a scintillating break.
Rhian Brewster headed the corner kick clear out, and Hamer picked it up and sped down the pitch with deceptive pace. Tyrese Campbell was the only teammate in support. Not only did Hamer see him but he found him, a clever pass with the outside of his right foot threaded through the legs of Sunderland’s recovering defenders.
Campbell accepted the pass with his right foot and clipped a tidy finish over the diving Patterson with his left. Twelve seconds from the corner at one end to the goal at the other. The scorer pointed to the heavens. Eleven months after losing his father Kevin, who started up front for Arsenal in the FA Cup final of 1993, he had a goal.
The Blades thought they had a second through Harrison Burrows, who lashed a headed clearance back into the Sunderland net on the volley with his left foot, only to find the goal wiped out by VAR.
Vini Souza had been offside and ruled to have interfered with the goalkeeper’s view of the ball.
