Ghana international Brandon Thomas-Asante has secured a Premier League promotion with Coventry City after their one-all draw with Blackburn Rovers on Friday evening.
Coventry City have returned to the English top-flight league after 25 years in the wilderness, having been relegated to League Two before securing a promotion to the Championship in 2020.
Bobby Thomas equalized six minutes from time at Blackburn Rovers to secure Coventry City's return to the English Premier League after two and a half decades.
Thomas wrote his name in Sky Blues history as he headed home in front of the away fans to send them wild at Ewood Park.
The Coventry fans sang the 25-year-old defender's name, and after the club's journey all the way down to League Two, Frank Lampard has led them back to the top flight.
Thomas' goal was tough on Blackburn, and they deservedly led through Ryoya Morishita before the Championship leaders hit back to earn the point they needed to seal promotion.
For Rovers, the draw lifted them five points clear of the relegation zone, but they have played two more games than third-from-bottom Oxford United.
Following the final whistle, former England and Chelsea midfielder Lampard went onto the pitch to celebrate Coventry's greatest moment since lifting the FA Cup in 1987, and the players ran to the away fans in the Darwen End, holding promotion banners.
The away fans had felt this moment was inevitable, but it was Rovers who threatened first when Carl Rushworth saved Yuki Ohashi's flying header from Ryan Alebiosu's cross.
Rovers went close again from the same combination, and Ohashi headed against the bar from Alebiosu's ball, only for referee Lewis Smith to blow for a push by the Japanese forward before Morishita saw a shot blocked.
It came as no surprise when Blackburn scored on 54 minutes through Morishita. Alebiosu's cross was deflected to the feet of Morishita, and the Japan international shot home off Thomas.
Coventry finally put Blackburn under some sustained pressure, and Jack Rudoni glanced a header off the inside of the post, although the offside flag was then raised against Haji Wright.
But the Sky Blues kept going and got their reward in the 84th minute when Victor Torp swung in a free-kick from the right for Thomas to head home from close range.
Thomas-Asante was introduced in the 71st minute as a replacement for Jack Rudoni, and his impressive performance ensured Coventry’s late equalizer to seal their promotion to the Premier League under Frank Lampard.
The 27-year-old arrived at the Sky Blues in 2024 on a four-year contract after spending two seasons at rival Championship side Westbrom for three million euros.
In this season’s campaign, Thomas-Asante has been a standout performer and played an important role in Coventry’s promotion to the Premier League, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists in 29 league appearances.
