Watford promoted to Premier League

The Hornets confirmed their promotion as their closest rivals Middlesbrough conceded deep into added time at Fulham

Watford promoted to Premier League
Watford promoted to Premier League
sam-france
By Sam France

Watford have been promoted to the Barclays Premier League following a scintillating day of football in the Sky Bet Championship.

The Hornets' 2-0 win at Brighton in the day's early kick-off sent them back to the summit of the Championship table, but their promotion was not confirmed until third-placed Middlesbrough conceded a 94th-minute goal against Fulham.

Top scorer Troy Deeney settled Slaviša Jokanović's men's nerves with a tidy finish half an hour into their early game, with supersub Matěj Vydra adding a second deep into stoppage time.

Meanwhile, ten-man Middlesbrough imploded at Craven Cottage, conceding two penalties as they lost 4-3 at a side with very little to play for. Having pulled two goals back to bring the game to 3-3, goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos' decision to go up for a corner in the final minute of stoppage time proved costly for the Teessiders - and heavenly for the Hornets.

Watford's promotion could be followed by second-placed Bournemouth on Monday, when they play at home to Bolton. Though Eddie Howe's side can't mathematically confirm promotion with a win, three points would all but secure their success due to their having a far superior goal difference to closest rivals Middlesbrough.