Sheffield United back in the Premier League

SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — Sheffield United is returning to the Premier League after a 12-year absence.

The team nicknamed the Blades was guaranteed a top-two finish in the second-tier League Championship after third-place Leeds drew 1-1 with Aston Villa on Sunday.

Sheffield United could go up as champions if it beats Stoke and first-place Norwich loses at Villa on the final day of the season.

Sheffield United’s last spell in the top flight lasted just one season and ended in acrimony. West Ham avoided relegation thanks to a final-day victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, with then-Argentina striker Carlos Tevez scoring the only goal of the game.

West Ham was fined 5 million pounds ($6.45 million) by a Premier League inquiry for breaching rules governing third-party ownership of a player, but no points were deducted and Tevez was permitted to play in the final three games of the season.