CHERRIES loanees David Brooks and Joe Rothwell have earned promotion to the Premier League with loan club Southampton, helping the Saints to a 1-0 win at Wembley over Leeds United in the Championship play-off final.

Brooks started on the wing for Southampton but was forced off with injury shortly after Adam Armstrong had given the Hampshire team the lead underneath the arch of Wembley.

Fellow loanee Jaidon Anthony would be introduced off the bench for Leeds, but the Yorkshire club could not find an equaliser.

It means that Southampton, alongside Championship winners Leicester City and second-placed Ipswich Town, will play in the Premier League alongside Cherries next season.

It means Leeds, who went close late on when substitute Dan James hit the crossbar, suffered more play-off pain with this a sixth consecutive time they have failed to go up via that route.

Victory in the fixture – dubbed the richest match in football – would be worth an estimated £140million in revenue according to Deloitte and the scale of the prize on offer usually contributed towards cagey affairs.

Farke’s men were quick out the traps and Archie Gray, the youngest Leeds player to appear at Wembley, and Wilfried Gnonto had early shots saved by Alex McCarthy, who had not started a league fixture this season for Saints until last month.

Back came Southampton, with Armstrong unable to pick out Will Smallbone in the area before Smallbone had a curled free-kick parried wide by Illan Meslier.

The sun started to break through soon after and with 24 minutes played, it was Saints who broke the deadlock.

Southampton exploited their numerical advantage in midfield, with Flynn Downes able to find Smallbone, who played in Armstrong and he drilled into the bottom corner.

It was first blood to the team which finished fourth in the regular season, but Martin was forced into a change before half-time when Brooks could not continue and left the pitch close to tears.

An action-packed start occurred after the interval, with Ethan Ampadu forced to block a shot from former Cherries loanee Jack Stephens before Leeds went close to an equaliser.

Rodon bombed forward and exchanged passes with Gnonto before he was tackled and Crysencio Summerville curled past the post.

Farke made his first roll of the dice with 24 minutes of normal time to go when he sent James on for Gnonto, before introducing Anthony for Summerville.

It was a Saints’ substitute who had the next chance and Samuel Edozie arguably should have put the match to bed in the 68th minute but curled over.

The door remained ajar for Leeds and they came within a whisker of an 84th-minute leveller when Rutter set up James, but he smashed a half-volley against the crossbar.

James needed treatment soon after before he picked himself up and let fly again in stoppage-time, but McCarthy saved well to ensure Southampton join Ipswich and Leicester in next season’s Premier League.