Southampton ease past West Brom to reach playoff final

SOUTHAMPTON: Southampton moved a step closer to returning to the Premier League with a 3-1 home win over West Bromwich Albion in the second leg of their Championship playoff semi-final on Friday to reach the final 3-1 on aggregate. Russell Martin’s side will face Leeds United, who beat Norwich City 4-0 on Thursday, at Wembley on May 26 for a place in the top flight.

Having dominated the first half, Southampton took the lead four minutes after the break when Will Smallbone shot home off the post following a counter-attack. “What a win. It was a tough game, West Brom are a tough side,” Smallbone told Sky Sports.

“The manager put a lot of faith in me this year and I can’t speak highly enough of what he’s done for me and my career. It’s been my dream to be here playing for as long as I can remember and to do it right now is amazing.”

The Championship’s second top scorer Adam Armstrong extended the advantage with a low shot in the 78th minute before sealing the rout from the penalty spot four minutes from time. “It’s amazing and something we’ve been working on all year, to get back to the Premier League. We were gutted we didn’t make the top two, but if we can go up this way, what a way it will be,” Armstrong said. Cedric Kipre grabbed a consolation for West Brom with a last-gasp header. Leicester City and Ipswich Town won automatic promotion to the Premier League after finishing as Championship winners and runners-up.