Leeds United 4-0 Charlton Athletic: Addicks relegated after heavy defeat by champions
- Published
Leeds were presented with the Championship trophy after beating Charlton
Charlton were relegated back to League One after one season in the Championship after they fell to a heavy final day defeat at champions Leeds.
The hosts totally dominated throughout and took a deserved lead when Brighton loanee Ben White smashed home his first goal for the club with a wonderful volley from 18 yards out.
Leeds further enforced their dominance on the game when Stuart Dallas poked home a second after a superb pass from Pablo Hernandez.
Substitutes Tyler Roberts and Jamie Shackleton rounded off the win in the second half as the Addicks slumped out of the league.
Relegation caps difficult season for Addicks
Ex-Leeds midfielder Lee Bowyer saw his Charlton side relegated on his former home ground
A Charlton win would have kept Lee Bowyer's men up but that never looked likely to happen on a day Leeds marked their first home game since being confirmed as champions with a brilliant display.
But, despite their heavy defeat at Elland Road, the Addicks looked set to survive until Clarke Oduor's injury-time winner for Barnsley at Brentford.
It was a sorry end to what has been a very difficult season on and off the pitch for Charlton.
East Street Investments bought the club from hugely unpopular owner Roland Duchatelet in January but their ownership has proven to be utterly disastrous and mired with controversy.
On the field, the Addicks made a good start to the campaign, going unbeaten in their first six league games following promotion from League One last season.
However, they won just once between 20 October and 31 January to drop into relegation trouble.
They were in the bottom three when the season was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic but recorded back-to-back wins when the campaign resumed to leave Bowyer to say it would have been "ridiculous" if the season had been ended on a points-per-game basis.
With leading scorer Lyle Taylor opting not to sign a short-term extension to his deal, the Addicks could not continue that good run of form and go down having failed to win any of their final seven matches.
Champions Leeds finish in style
Ben White's brilliant chest and volley from the edge of the box game put Leeds in front against Charlton
It was an apt end to the season for title winners Leeds.
The Whites have been the outstanding side in this season's Championship and their promotion back to the Premier League was confirmed on Friday before the title followed on Saturday.
In their centenary year, and on the occasion of Marcelo Bielsa's 100th game in charge of the club, they put on a performance befitting of a top-flight side.
Ever-present White, arguably their stand-out performer this campaign, got them up and running with a beautifully struck volley on what could well be his last appearance for the club.
Dallas' goal was more in keeping with the incisive passing moves associated with Bielsa's team, the Northern Ireland international finishing off after an immaculate pass from Hernandez that was threaded through the legs of a Charlton defender.
There was no let up after the break.
Roberts headed home unmarked from a Hernandez corner and then subs Ian Poveda and Shackleton linked up before the latter slotted home a composed finish.
The night ended with the league trophy being held aloft at Elland Road and, after 16 years, the next league game there will be in the Premier League.
Match reaction
Charlton boss Lee Bowyer: "I'm not happy. I've said to the players it's not about tonight's game,
"Since coming back from lockdown we've been the better side in most of the games and that's what cost us. We should have been safe before we came here tonight.
"There are only so many things you can do, and you can cut corners for so long and even then we still fought til the last day.
"We should have still been safe with the players we've got, but it didn't happen."