Hull City will play in the Premier League again for the first time in nine years after edging past Middlesbrough with a dramatic stoppage-time winner in a 1-0 victory during the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium.

Given the huge stakes involved and the intense off-field attention surrounding the fixture, the contest opened in a tense and cautious manner from both teams.

Clear-cut opportunities were rare in the early stages, with Aidan Morris’s ambitious long-range attempt drifting well wide and reflecting the lack of attacking quality during the opening 15 minutes.

As the game gradually opened up, David Strelec missed a close-range header that flew over the crossbar, while Sol Brynn was called into action for the first time in the 24th minute to deal with a headed effort from Lewie Coyle.

The best chance of the first half fell to Hull City just before the interval, when Oli McBurnie rose highest inside the area only to see his header crash against the crossbar.

Moments later at the other end, David Strelec failed to hit the target after finding space in a dangerous position. While the opening 45 minutes had largely lacked intensity, the late flurry of chances hinted at a far more entertaining second half.

As the match wore on, the importance of scoring first seemed to weigh heavily on both teams, with tension growing by the minute in a contest dominated by disciplined defending and few clear openings.

By this point, genuine scoring opportunities had become almost non-existent, with tension and anxiety spreading throughout the stadium as both sides struggled to find a breakthrough.

With fewer than 10 minutes left in normal time, substitute Joe Gelhardt worked space for himself inside the penalty area but dragged his turning effort wide, sparing Middlesbrough from falling behind.

Just when extra time appeared inevitable, Oli McBurnie delivered the decisive moment of the play-off final. The striker reacted quickest inside the box in the 95th minute, steering the ball home to hand Hull City a dramatic late advantage.

From that moment on, Hull City calmly saw out the remaining minutes of stoppage time to complete a dramatic victory, sparking wild celebrations among their supporters.

Despite ending the regular season seven points behind Middlesbrough, Hull secured promotion back to the top flight of English football, while Boro were left to face another campaign in the Championship.