Leeds United fans celebrated their promotion to the Premier League outside their Elland Road stadium tonight after Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield beat West Brom.
The fans, who waited for 16 years to return to the top flight, needed one more point to be guaranteed a return to the top division.
But when second-placed West Brom lost their Friday match, it meant Leeds could no longer drop out of the automatic promotion places.
It has been a long and often tortuous road back for Leeds, who were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 amid a spectacular financial meltdown.
However, after sun down, several cars were damaged after fans jumped on top of the bonnet and roof, even smashing a windscreen.
Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani had asked fans to be mindful of Covid-19 while celebrating.
Leeds went into administration in 2007 under Ken Bates and fared little better under subsequent owners GFH Capital before the arrival of controversial Italian Massimo Cellino.
During Cellino’s chaotic three-year ownership Leeds had seven different managers, but current owner Andrea Radrizzani bought a 50 per cent stake in Leeds in January 2017 to signal the dawning of a new era.
Radrizzani purchased the remaining 50 per cent from Cellino the following May and Leeds made a bold statement of intent by appointing Marcelo Bielsa in the summer of 2018.
It was an expensive gamble, but Bielsa proved an instant hit, transforming the same squad he inherited into genuine promotion challengers in his first season.
That ended in disappointment when Leeds fell short in the play-offs, but Bielsa and his players have bounced back.
Leeds have continued to light up the Championship with Bielsa’s exciting brand of football and few could begrudge them their place back among the elite.
Their promotion was greeted with joy by a host of their former players.
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