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Super Eagles midfielder, Joe Aribo put up an impressive performance as Southampton sealed promotion back to the Premier League following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Leeds United in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium.
Aribo was vital for Southampton in the playoffs, starting all the three matches contested by the Saints.
Southampton, the only team to achieve a league double over Leeds throughout the campaign, secured its third wins at the National Stadium with top scorer Adam Armstrong scoring the decisive goal in the first half.
Twenty-four minutes into the contest, Armstrong found the bottom corner with a brilliant finish after Will Smallbone played him through on goal.
Meanwhile, Aribo earned a 7/10 rating for his hard work during the game. After his Southampton career looked set to fizzle out as he could not get in the side in the first half of the season, Aribo became crucial to Southampton from December onwards and was again important at Wembley.
In the first-half he took up some great positions in between Leeds’ midfield in defence and neither knew who should pick him up. His running from midfield to join the attack has become a feature of Southampton’s play and he dug in the second-half to defend well.
Meanwhile, promotion means Saints are set to receive a windfall of at least US$178 million, according to analysis from Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.
