Newcastle United have secured an immediate return to the Premier League after a convincing home victory over Preston.
Two goals from Ayoze Perez and strikes from Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie were enough for the Magpies to secure their return to the top flight.
St James’ Park celebrated the feat by paying tribute to the man who gave them hope 12 months ago.
Benitez’s side had taken only one point from their previous three matches, but their late-season wobble was not punished by their closest rivals.
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Defeats for Reading and Huddersfield on Saturday left Newcastle needing just one more win to guarantee a top-two finish.
Only two of the last 18 relegated teams have gone up automatically at the first attempt, giving the achievement some context.
This is Newcastle’s sixth promotion in their 125-year history but only the second achieved in front of a home crowd.
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