Russell Martin expressed his gratitude and acknowledged he was not a “sexy appointment” after guiding Southampton to the Premier League with a precious 1-0 win over Leeds at Wembley.
Adam Armstrong struck midway through the first half to haunt Leeds again with his 24th goal of the campaign and it proved enough to send Saints back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
It continued the remarkable rise of Martin after he masterminded promotion to the Premier League in only his fifth season as a manager.
WE ARE GOING UP 👑👑👑 pic.twitter.com/KZpDFNXGsB
— Southam(P)ton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 26, 2024
The 38-year-old paid tribute to the Southampton owners and former director of football Jason Wilcox, who brought him to the club but left to join Manchester United last month and was at Wembley a day earlier for the FA Cup final.
Martin said: “I just feel really grateful. I have felt that all week really.
“Just felt a load of gratitude for what the players have given us, the staff, the supporters and I feel immense pride in what we have achieved.
“I just feel grateful to the owners for giving me the opportunity in the first place, for Jason, who had a good day himself here yesterday.
“I feel like it wasn’t a sexy appointment for Southampton Football Club, me coming in, but they were brave enough to give me the opportunity and hopefully we have repaid them with a day they will remember forever.
“It has given me one of the best days of my career for sure, so yeah I just feel nothing but gratitude and a lot of love for the people I’ve worked with all year.”
Saints endured a rollercoaster ride before they made it to Wembley, losing four in a row in September before Martin oversaw a club record 25-match unbeaten run.
A poor end to the campaign, which included a 5-0 loss at Leicester, threatened to derail their promotion bid, but they regrouped to beat West Brom in the play-off semi-finals.
It set up another clash with Leeds and Martin tasted success for a third time against old boss Daniel Farke, with Armstrong’s first-half strike the difference.
Leeds started well, but Southampton made their numerical advantage in midfield count when Flynn Downes found Will Smallbone, who brilliantly passed through to Armstrong and he drilled into the corner.
Farke sent on Dan James in search of a leveller and the Wales international struck the crossbar with six minutes left before another low effort was parried away by Alex McCarthy to earn Southampton victory.
“We missed a few passes we would never normally miss, so I just wanted to tell them to stick to the game plan a little bit,” Martin revealed.
“We scored a really, really nice goal and it is something the guys work on a lot in terms of the way it built up.
“I didn’t want us to defend as long as we did in the last 25 minutes, but with the tension in the game, I understand that because it’s a big occasion.
“I felt when we had to defend, we defended so well and Alex when we needed him was brilliant.”
Defeat for Leeds consigned them to more play-off heartache with this a sixth consecutive time they have failed to go up via that route in the club’s history and ensured they missed out on a revenue boost of £140million, according to Deloitte.
Farke said: “Yes, as you can imagine it couldn’t be worse. Obviously we’re suffering a lot in this moment.
“I can’t really say we are the worst side in this final and to lose this final hurts a lot.
“We are very disappointed, but I also don’t want to miss to say first of all congratulations to Southampton. They defended really, really well and were pretty effective.”
Amad Diallo said on Thursday that he hopes his Manchester United teammate Alejandro Garnacho will stay at the club amid growing expectation that the Argentina international will leave in the summer.Sources have told ESPN that the 20-year-old's representatives are set for talks with United ahead of the opening of the window.Sources on both sides have told ESPN that Garnacho is likely to leave the c...
According to the Italian journalist, posting from his official account on X, the Gunners are now entering into concrete talks to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.The Slovenia international has long been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, and it seems Mikel Arteta is finally going to get his man.Fabrizio Romano on Benjamin Sesko to Arsenal "concrete talks"See below as Romano has prov...
Chelsea have beaten Manchester United to the £30 million ($40.5m) signing of Liam Delap with sources telling ESPN that the Conference League winners are close to finalising a deal for the Ipswich Town forward.Delap, 22, had also been the subject of interest from Newcastle United and Everton, but the prospect of playing alongside former Manchester City teammate Cole Palmer at Stamford Bridge i...
Conte stays at Napoli despite exit talkAntonio Conte will stay at Napoli despite reports of a possible Juventus return as president Aurelio De Laurentiis confirmed an agreement.Guardiola targets Klopp's ex-assistant for key Man City roleFormer Liverpool assistant Pepijn Lijnders could join Manchester City's coaching staff after he was sacked by Red Bull Salzburg in December, with Kolo Toure also i...
Leroy Sane's Bayern future unclear as Arsenal plan moveLeroy Sane's future at Bayern Munich remains uncertain, with Arsenal eyeing a potential move once his contract runs out.The player’s agent, Pini Zahavi, revealed he had a "nice meeting" with the Bavarians sporting director Max Eberl but admitted there were no concrete developments yet, as the Germany winger weighs his next move.He told S...
Liam Delap warned Chelsea move may be too bigEmmanuel Petit has warned Liam Delap that a move to Chelsea might be too big a step, following the striker’s decision to turn down Manchester United and Newcastle.The 22-year-old is nearing a high-profile summer move to the Stamford Bridge outfit, with reports suggesting the player is eager to link up with Enzo Fernandez.The Blues hope to finalise...
Palmer reveals he "was sick of going backwards" before Chelsea's final comebackChelsea star Cole Palmer has revealed that he grew frustrated at his side's lack of invention during the Conference League final.Having found themselves 1-0 down after a poor first-half performance, Palmer took it upon himself to find two assists inside five minutes to turn the game in the Blues’ favour. The 23-ye...
With Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France already done and dusted, Paris Saint-Germain have now set their sights on UEFA Champions League glory in their quest to complete what would be a historic European treble.Luis Enrique's side will come up against Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena to contest the 2024-25 Champions League final this weekend, with the French side desperate to claim what would be only ...
Liverpool duo Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz are wanted by Saudi Pro League clubs. Peter Byrne - PA Images/Getty ImagesLiverpool duo Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez are wanted by clubs in Saudi Arabia, as is Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men's January grades | Women's...
Naomi Girma has taken on a more vocal role as the USWNT finds itself in a transitional period. Photo by Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSFThe U.S. women's national team has always had an abundance of strong leaders and recognizable stars throughout its 40-year history. Many iconic players competed across multiple generations, with 14 of them accumulating 200 caps or more, and three e...
- 1 Andy Carroll and Lou Teasdale look loved up
- 2 Daily Laugh - Arsenal open talks with Sesko
- 3 Liverpool vs Crystal Palace Prediction 25 May 2025
- 4 Chelsea making progress over Caicedo deal
- 5 Gyokeres' words about joining Arsenal
- 6 Ronaldo appears to confirm Al-Nassr exit
- 7 Amorim promises revival after disaster
- 8 Man City target right-back Tino Livramento
- 9 Chloe Kelly stuns Arsenal fans as she heads straight to local PUB
- 10 Manchester United vs Aston Villa Prediction 25 May 2025