Fulham have been promoted to the Premier League after beating Brentford 2-1 after extra-time in the Championship playoff final at Wembley.
After a drab 90 minutes, it took a moment of inspiration from Cottagers left-back Joe Bryan to break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time in the additional period.
With Bees goalkeeper David Raya expecting Bryan to cross the free-kick from fully 40 yards, the Fulham star struck the ball inside the goalkeeper’s right-hand post to trigger scenes of jubilation from his teammates and manager Scott Parker.
And Bryan doubled his tally in the closing minutes, playing a neat one-two with substitute striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to finish on his weaker right foot and seal the victory.
Henrik Dalsgaard headed home to half the deficit with almost the last touch of the game, but it is Fulham who make an immediate return to the top flight after relegation last year, netting £135million in the process.
Defeat capped a heartbreaking end to the season for Thomas Frank’s side, who lost each of their final two games of the regular season to miss out on automatic promotion.
