Brentford earned the right to compete in the Premier League next season with a 2-0 defeat of Swansea in the Championship Playoff Final. The Bees will return to the topflight after a 74-year absence and will become the 50th team to appear in the Premier League. Brentford replaces neighboring club Fuham, relegated from the topflight this season, as a sixth London based club in the Premier League. The victory was redemption for a Brentford club which had lost in nine previous playoff appearances, including four defeats in the playoff final. The Bees needed to retool this season under manager Thomas Frank after a semi-final playoff loss to Fulham last year as key players Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma moved onto Premier League clubs Aston Villa and West Ham, respectively. The acquisition of Ivan Toney ensured the Bees’s attack continued to hum with the former Newcastle player racking up 33 goals this season for Brentford, including the opening goal ten minutes into Saturday’s match via a penalty kick converted in his distinctive walkup style. Brentford’s second goal came on an Emiliano Marcondes strike 20 minutes later. A red card ejection of Swansea’s Jay Fulton in the 65th minute effectively ended hopes for the Swans. Swansea was eliminated in a playoff match by Brentford for a second consecutive year, having lost in a semi-final matchup last year. The Swans’ task is more difficult going forward as three years of parachute financial payments following the club’s 2018 relegation from the Premier League are now ended. Swansea coach Steve Cooper has been rumored as a candidate for the open Crystal Palace manager position.
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