LEICESTER, England: Leicester ended its 10-year absence from the Premier League by securing promotion on Saturday courtesy of defeats by rival clubs.
The Midlands club is guaranteed to finish in the top two of the League Championship after beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on Friday, then seeing third-place Queens Park Rangers lose 2-1 at Bournemouth and fourth-place Derby lose 1-0 at Middlesbrough.
Leicester was relegated from the Premier League in 2004 after one season back in England's lucrative top division. The club had four straight top-10 finishes in the Premier League from 1997-2000 under manager Martin O'Neill and played in the UEFA Cup after winning the League Cup in 1997 and 2000.
Now managed by Nigel Pearson, Leicester leads the League Championship and is nine points clear of Burnley with six games left.
