Carlos Corberan was a proud man as he watched his West Brom side breeze to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Preston and secure a Championship play-off place.
Alex Mowatt got the ball rolling when he converted a penalty, won by Darnell Furlong, in first half stoppage time, before captain Kyle Bartley doubled their lead on the hour mark.
Furlong himself then struck a third in the 68th minute after good work from fellow full-back Conor Townsend.
Corberan, who reached the play-off final with Huddersfield in 2022, will now prepare his players for a semi-final duel with Southampton over two legs, but in the aftermath of this win pride was his overriding emotion.
“Football is about this – making your best so you can live these special moments,” he said.
“I’m happy to have the possibility to put this group there and to do it with this group of players. They deserve, over the season, the position we’ve achieved today.
“We’ve been there for many, many weeks and means we don’t go on holiday – I wasn’t ready for a holiday! I wanted to live the moment we’re going to live. The first target, to reach the play-offs, is done, and now we will work towards the next one.
“I wanted to relive this moment, after Huddersfield, because this club deserve it. Unfortunately last year we couldn’t achieve it, but this year we have.
“The play-offs give you the step that allow you to fight for promotion. We know we are going to have a massively strong test, because Southampton are a team that were in the Premier League last year and who deserve their position too.
“We know how difficult the new target, which is Wembley, will be to achieve, but we are going to make our best.”
Preston manager Ryan Lowe, meanwhile, saw his side’s end-of-season slump culminate in a fifth straight defeat.
He intends to begin work immediately to improve North End’s chances of closing the gap to the play-offs next term.
“We were nowhere near the level,” he admitted.
“It’s been disappointing for everyone involved, the fans and hierarchy, because we wanted to finish the season on a high. To finish 10th is a good bonus, 63 points – we wanted more.
“It’s my job to find solutions and be better next season. The recruitment has already started, to find more leaders, more quality for when we have a burst of injuries as we’ve had.
“I’m convinced we can get to 70-odd points. This (losing the final five matches) doesn’t happen if you’ve got more points, because you’re in with a fighting chance. I don’t think my team would’ve gave in like it looks like they have. That’s disappointing.
“Between nine, 10, 11 points (to the play-offs), we have to make up that gap. There have been times this season where we should’ve won.
“We’d have been in a better position, but I believe in my ability, my staff’s ability, the players we’ve got at our disposal now and I think we can achieve some great things and keep pushing on.”
Pep Guardiola cast doubt over his long-term Manchester City future after admitting he is running out of things to achieve following an historic fourth straight Premier League title.The battle for top spot went down to the final day but the reigning champions held their nerve at the Etihad Stadium, where they could not afford a slip-up with Arsenal breathing down their necks.Phil Foden’s fant...
Roberto De Zerbi would like to work in the Premier League again but insisted he does not have another job lined up as he bade farewell to Brighton with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United.The Italian, whose departure by mutual consent was announced on Saturday, has been linked with a host of top European clubs.De Zerbi cited a difference of vision with Albion owner Tony Bloom as the reason for leavi...
Rob Edwards admitted the doubters were right about Luton after they were relegated from the Premier League following a final-day 4-2 defeat to Fulham at Kenilworth Road.Adama Traore opened the scoring for the Cottagers with Raul Jimenez on target twice and Harry Wilson rounding things off midway through the second half. Carlton Morris (penalty) and Alfie Doughty scored to make it 1-1 and 2-3, but ...
Oliver Glasner replied with an emphatic “no” when asked if he expected his first three months in charge of Crystal Palace would result in his new side equalling a best-ever top-10 Premier League finish.The mood was sour in south London when the Austrian took over a relegation-threatened Eagles side in February, a nadir best exemplified by the protest banners raised by a disillusioned f...
Mikel Arteta vowed Arsenal would come back stronger and win the Premier League after they suffered title heartbreak for a second season in a row.The Gunners claimed a late 2-1 win over Everton on the final day but Manchester City’s 3-1 victory at home to West Ham crowned them champions for a fourth consecutive year.Any chances of last-day jeopardy appeared minimal from the outset, but were r...
Erik ten Hag says Manchester United must “do everything” to repay the “best fans in the world” by lifting the FA Cup after his club suffered their worst Premier League finish.The 20-time English champions signed off a dismal top-flight campaign with a 2-0 win at Brighton but finished in eighth place – their lowest final position since coming 13th in the old first divi...
Nuno Espirito Santo said he would celebrate with “two or three beers” after Nottingham Forest made sure of their Premier League status with a 2-1 win at already-relegated Burnley.Chris Wood scored a brace inside the opening 15 minutes against his former club to eliminate any worries that Luton might have beaten Forest to 17th place – something that would have required an unlikely...
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou says a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League is a good achievement in his first season but insisted he has “lofty ambitions”.Spurs confirmed their place in next season’s Europa League with a 3-0 win at relegated Sheffield United on the final day of the season.Dejan Kulusevski’s double and Pedro Porro’s strike ensured they finished a...
Eddie Howe hopes Bruno Guimaraes was not bidding Newcastle a fond farewell after scoring the goal which clinched seventh place.Guimaraes capped a 4-2 win at Brentford with a late strike and celebrated in front of the away fans in a Toon bucket hat.The Brazil midfielder, linked with a move away this summer, then spent a long time waving to the travelling support after the final whistle.“I don...
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Anfield to never stop believing and to welcome his successor Arne Slot like they welcomed him as “change is good”.Speaking at a presentation on the pitch, made by owners John W Henry and Tom Werner, chief executive Billy Hogan and Sir Kenny Dalglish after the 2-0 victory over Wolves, the German addressed the crowd and offered a positive outlook on th...
- 1 Sterling considering leaving the club
- 2 Major Liverpool star still an option for Real
- 3 Real Madrid star and fellow Brazilian ace in bizarre WAG SWAP
- 4 Marcus Rashford's new £700,000 Rolls Royce Wraith revealed
- 5 Mourinho to join Fenerbahce?
- 6 Jhon Duran bags brace as Aston Villa draw with Liverpool to boost top-four hopes
- 7 Nuno Espirito Santo achieves ‘main objective’ as Forest win secures survival
- 8 My footballer husband is unemployed but I can still contribute 50p
- 9 Celtic run riot against Kilmarnock to win another Premiership title
- 10 Ian Murray says Raith will improve for play-off final after shootout success