Wolverhampton Wanderers Promoted to Premier League After Fulham Draw

Wolverhampton Wanderers will play Premier League football next season thanks to Neal Maupay scoring a 94th-minute equaliser for Brentford against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Championship on Saturday.

Fulham's draw means Wolves can't finish any lower than second, so the Black Country club has already earned automatic promotion. Wolves confirmed the news on Twitter:

It marks a return to England's top flight for the first time since 2009 to 2012.

BT Sport and BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker praised the achievement and got Wolves thinking about the greater coverage they can expect:

Premier League leaders Manchester City, likely champions this season, offered their congratulations:

City's kind words also hint at the daunting challenge facing Wolves, who will have to meet a higher standard during 2018/19.

Before then, Wolves have four games left to play in order to seal the Championship title, beginning with hosting Birmingham City at Molineux Stadium on Sunday, as they lead Cardiff City by nine points.

Yet promotion represents the bigger prize, as well as a worthy reward for a fantastic season on the watch of manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Portuguese boss has crafted a functional side capable of producing attractive football. Wolves have scored the most goals and conceded the fewest in the Championship, a true measure of their dominance.

Sky Sports Statto showed the strides Wolves have made under Santo:

Midfielder Ruben Neves and striker Diogo Jota have been key figures, as Santo has shopped wisely to recruit talented players from his homeland.

Neves had recently explained how testing himself at a level higher was always his goal when he joined Wolves 2017, per Jan Hagen of Sport Witness and Metro:

Now Santo must switch his focus to surviving what will be a tough season a level up. History will show Santo the extent of the task facing him and his players.

The last time they earned promotion, Wolves stayed up for three seasons before going down miserably by finishing the 2011/12 campaign bottom. Top-flight status was a shorter-lived thing in 2003-04, with Wolves lasting just one season before suffering relegation after winning just seven matches.

For now, though, Santo and his players can simply enjoy a hard-earned and impressive achievement.