Huddersfield Beat Reading on Penalties to Earn Promotion to the Premier League

Huddersfield Town will play Premier League football in 2017-18 after they beat Reading 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw in the EFL Championship play-off final at Wembley on Monday.

Huddersfield had the better chances early in the game, with on-loan Chelsea man Izzy Brown somehow turning one wide when unmarked from inside the Reading six-yard box. For the remainder of regulation and in the extra 30 minutes, neither side stamped their mark on the match.

In penalties, Huddersfield's Michael Hefele was the first man to miss, as his effort was saved by Reading stopper Ali Al Habsi. But Liam Moore fired over for the Royals, restoring parity.

Reading's Jordan Obita's kick was then saved by Danny Ward, leaving Christopher Schindler to score the winning kick for the Terriers.

According to the Mirror, winning the game could be worth £290 million to Huddersfield, who followed Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion into the top flight.

Wembley was a picture ahead of kick-off, courtesy of Nizaar Kinsella of Goal:

Huddersfield started the brighter, pressing high and nicking possession back off the Royals. They came close to going ahead five minutes in, too, when Hefele nodded wide from a set piece.

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They should have been in front through Brown. Tommy Smith and Elias Kachunga linked up well down the right, and the latter squared the ball across goal. Brown, unmarked, merely had to apply the finishing touch, but he somehow managed to skew his shot wide from a couple of yards out.

Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian was staggered the Huddersfield forward didn't hit the target:

For the remainder of the second period, Reading established themselves in the game, keeping the ball for longer spells. But they could not break a resolute Terriers defence, and the match was deadlocked at the interval.

Neither side were able to exert themselves on the game after the break, as they each had a clear hesitancy to fully commit in attack due to the fear of losing such a high-stakes game. Wrong decisions were being made consistently in the final third, too.

Huddersfield looked the more likely to score as the game entered the final stages, and Collin Quaner fired just wide after Aaron Mooy's cutback.

As noted by The Independent's Miguel Delaney, the match had descended into an attritional affair at that point:

Both sides had half chances before the end of the 90 minutes, although the game had long seemed destined for extra time.

After the brief break, fatigue seemed to set into the legs of a lot of players on show at Wembley, as passes were misplaced with increasing regularity.

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Unsurprisingly, clear-cut chances were at a premium throughout extra time, too, and the tempo slowed as both sides grew evermore cautious. Huddersfield's Nahki Wells had the clearest opportunity before the 120 minutes were up, but he fired wide after a neat spin in the area.

As penalties loomed, OptaJoe summed up just how poor the contest had been:

Still, the game ended with drama. When Hefele had his effort saved, Huddersfield's hopes of promotion looked to be dashed.

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Moore, however, hammered his effort over the bar three kicks later, and Mooy scored to make it 3-3. Obita's tame shot was then stopped by Ward, and Schindler had the chance to send his team into the top flight. He scuffed his effort, but it was accurate, nestling into the corner and sparking scenes of delirium among the Huddersfield fans behind the goal.