EFL expert outlines the reasons why Burnley have been promoted to the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United

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It was an unhappy trip to Turf Moor for Chris Wilder and his Sheffield United side on Monday evening, promoting Scott Parker’s Burnley in the process.

Sheffield United knew they had to to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive and anything less than a win simply wouldn’t do. Chris Wilder’s side suffered their fourth defeat in five to end their automatic promotion hopes.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LeedsLeeds	44	27	13	4	89	29	60	94
2	BurnleyBurnley	44	26	16	2	61	15	46	94
3	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	44	27	7	10	60	35	25	86
4	SunderlandSunderland	44	21	13	10	58	41	17	76
5	Bristol CityBristol City	44	17	16	11	57	49	8	67
6	CoventryCoventry	44	19	9	16	62	57	5	66
7	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	44	18	9	17	64	54	10	63
8	MillwallMillwall	44	17	12	15	45	46	-1	63

A 2-1 scoreline, largely thanks to star man Josh Brownhill, was enough to secure promotion for Burnley, while also promote Leeds United in the process. That also confined the Blades to the Championship play-offs this season.

It was a perfect weekend for the top two who will now fight it out for the title, which some experts and pundits believe will be Leeds’ by the time May’s final day fixture is played out for both them and Burnley.

• READ MORE: Burnley vs Sheffield United player ratings as 10/10 Clarets ace seals promotion in style, while 4/10 Blade slips up

George Elek and Ali Maxwell’s view of Burnley 2-1 Sheffield United

After the game, Chris Wilder was full of praise for Burnley and Leeds for their achievements in securing the top two spots in the league table, while Josh Brownhill’s delight was evident at securing promotion as captain of the Clarets.

EFL experts Ali Maxwell and George Elek of the Not The Top 20 podcast have provided their analysis for the game since, explaining how it was symptomatic of both teams this season as a whole.

Maxwell said: “This was a pretty good microcosm of both clubs and why one is going up to the Premier League and the other isn’t in Sheffield United.

“I thought Sheffield United were front-footed. This was a tactical change. He made changes to try and force his team to win the game — to try and disrupt Burnley.

“I thought in the first 25-30 minutes, Sheffield United played pretty well. Had there been a little bit more connection between Moore and Cannon, maybe if Moore had been looking a little bit sharper — who’s not played a huge amount of football over the last few months, then they could’ve disrupted Burnley even more than they did.”

He added: “But you look back at the game over 90 minutes and, in particular, a second half where Sheffield United were chasing the game. And they basically punched themselves out. The plan A had stopped working and they didn’t really have anything else to go at.

“They looked tired, and ran out of ideas, and Burnley essentially boxed clever. They got through the initial burst, they got through that half-an-hour, they hadn’t looked amazing, but they got done what was necessary.

“And the second half — they just managed it. They boxed clever. They won the game without a huge amount of fuss. That’s what I’ll remember about this Burnley side.”

• READ MORE: Chris Wilder slams Burnley security as tempers flare at Turf Moor after Sheffield United defeat

Sheffield United’s dreadful play-off record is what Chris Wilder must overcome

An unwanted record awaits Sheffield United if they aren’t careful in the final two fixtures. The next two games will also be crucial in dictating their play-off campaign due to the need for momentum.

he Blades have been promoted 13 times in the club’s long history, including the most recent promotion back in the 2022/23 campaign. However, they have never gone up through the play-offs, be it through the Championship or in League One, losing in all eight attempts.

They will be fearing the worst again given their dismal play-off record, which has seen them not only lose four finals, but they’ve never actually even scored in a play-off final. They’ve also fallen at the semi-final hurdle in their last three attempts.

Suffice to say, the Blades would much rather have avoided the play-offs this season, as history has a nasty habit of repeating itself. Wilder simply has to get their heads up and regroup, which they do have the time to do in these next two games.

If he can’t, they will be a part of the 2025/26 Championship and have to attempt a return to the Premier League at the second attempt.