Nottingham Forest secure romantic return to Premier League
Nottingham Forest return to the Premier League with victory over Huddersfield in the play-off final at Wembley
![Nottingham Forest players celebrate against Huddersfield at Wembley.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rkw6tGjRh7KPG8uWhWzetg-810-80.jpg)
Nottingham Forest have sealed a romantic return to the Premier League after beating Huddersfield by a single goal in the EFL Championship play-off final at Wembley.
Levi Colwill's own goal two minutes before the break was the only score of the afternoon and secured promotion for Forest, but Huddersfield were left frustrated as two strong penalty appeals for Harry Toffolo and Lewis O'Brien were turned down in the second half.
Victory over Huddersfield (third in the table) sees Forest join Championship winners Fulham and Bournemouth in the Premier League next season.
Forest have not played in the Premier League since finishing 20th in the top flight back in 1998-99.
The Reds spent several seasons in the Premier League in the 1990s and are fondly remembered for some exciting football in that period, memorably finishing third in 1994-95 and making the UEFA Cup quarter-finals the following season.
Manager Steve Cooper has transformed Forest's fortunes since his appointment in September and took a side which finished 17th in 2020-21 to a fourth-placed finish this term.
But as the two-time European champions prepare for like back in the Premier League in 2022-23, Huddersfield will have to start all over again in the Championship next season.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
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