Which Teams Got Promoted to the Premier League?

Fulham finished top of the Championship with two points separating them from second-place Bournemouth.

This means that Fulham are back in the Premier League yet again, but will have to replicate something similar to this season in the Championship in order to stay in the top flight and avoid the drop, which has become a pattern for The Cottagers.

This pattern was first seen, less frequently, when Fulham were first relegated from the Premier League in the 2013/14 season, where The Cottagers then spent four seasons in the Championship. The first two seasons back in the second tier were tough, with a 20th and 17th place finish, but a third-place finish and a Play-off win against Aston Villa secured promotion.

The next four seasons were a rollercoaster with two promotions and two relegations, The Cottagers dominating the Championship but finishing 18th and 19th in the Premier League.

However, with the form Fulham were in this season as champions, The Cottagers look more and more likely to change their pattern. Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a record 43 goals in 44 games, as The Cottagers racked up a +63 goal difference, 28 higher than the next closest, Bournemouth. Fulham was also home to the player with the most assists in the Championship as Harry Wilson registered 19 assists in 41 games.

Fulham only lost ten games last season, drawing nine and winning 27, the most in the league. Marco Silva’s team also went on the longest winning run in the Championship last season, winning seven games on the bounce.

Fulham were responsible for both the biggest home and away wins of the season, as they beat Luton Town 7 - 0 at Craven Cottage and Blackburn Rovers were beaten 7 - 0 at Ewood Park. The Cottagers were also a part of two of the three top-scoring games of the season with two 6 - 2 wins over Bristol City and Birmingham City.

Overall, if Fulham can spark a goal-scoring frenzy in the Premier League like they did in the Championship, along with a somewhat consistent defence, safety could be a real possibility.

Bournemouth find themselves back in the Premier League after a short two-season stay in the Championship.

The Cherries finished a close second, falling two points short of winning the Championship, but still secured automatic promotion, six points ahead of third-place Huddersfield Town.

Scott Parker was appointed Bournemouth manager shortly before the start of the 2021/22 season, having already gotten a range of experience in his time managing Fulham, where he oversaw both a promotion and relegation in his time at Craven Cottage. Though this experience in the Premier League with a relegation-candidate team will be valuable for a Bournemouth team looking to survive the season in the top flight.

In the 2021/22 season, Bournemouth won 25 games, drew 13 and lost eight games with The Cherries finishing the season with a +35 goal difference, scoring 74 goals. The eight games The Cherries lost was the lowest number of games lost that season, suggesting Bournemouth had the best defence in the Championship.

Parker favoured a 4-3-3 formation, with his back four usually consisting of Jack Stacey, Gary Cahill, Lloyd Kelly and Jordan Zemura. With this defensive line, and goalkeeper Mark Travers, Bournemouth only conceded 39 goals in 46 games, which equates to an average of 0.85 goals conceded per game. The Cherries also kept 21 clean sheets in 46 games, the most of anyone in the league.

In terms of attack, Bournemouth were extremely strong, scoring 74 goals in 46 games, 29 of those being scored by top scorer Dominic Solanke. This confidence in front of goal may be the key for Bournemouth’s survival, as in their last season in the Premier League (2019/20) Bournemouth only scored 40 goals, with an average of only 1.05 goals a match and a top scorer with only eight goals.

Overall, if The Cherries carry over both their confidence upfront and stability at the back, Bournemouth could remain in the top flight.

Nottingham Forest ended their 23-year exodus from the top flight this year with a Play-off triumph over Huddersfield Town.

Forest finished fourth in the Championship, ten points off of champions Fulham and eight points adrift of automatic promotion. The Reds won 23 games, drew 11 and lost 12 with a goal difference of +33, the third-best in the league.

This fourth-place finish is the second-highest placement for Forest in the Championship after a third-place finish back in the 2009/10 season where they crashed out in the Play-off Semi-finals 6 - 4 on aggregate to Blackpool.

This season, however, Nottingham Forest drew fifth-place Sheffield United in the Semi-finals. The Reds won the first leg at Bramall Lane 2 - 1 with goals from Jack Colback and Brennan Johnson but lost the return leg 2 - 1 at the City Ground. A 3 - 2 win on penalties sent Steve Cooper’s team to Wembley.

A 1 - 0 win over Huddersfield via an own goal from Levi Colwill, was enough to send Nottingham Forest back to the Premier League for the first time since 1999.

Forest were consistently good both in front of goal and defensively, scoring 73 goals and only conceding 40 goals. This meant that The Red scored an average of 1.59 goals a game and only conceded 0.87 goals a game. If Steve Cooper’s men can recreate this form in the top flight, there could be a good chance of Nottingham Forest staying beyond just the 2022/23 season.