The Finals Are Set – EFL Playoff Recap

The stages are set. Banners, pyrotechnics, and confetti are all being prepared ahead of a monumental weekend in the EFL. The iconic Wembley Stadium will decide the fate of each of the six teams participating, as they play the most important and final 90 minutes of their season. Three matches which most people desperately look forward to, yet ones that can bring such a mix of emotions.

After previously delving into the fine details of the playoff first legs, it is time to reflect on how each team performed in the second legs of each tie and how the ones that reached the finals made it there.

Championship

Sheffield United 3-0 Bristol City (6-0 Aggregate)

When missing out on automatic promotion after a season full of hard work, there is no better response than to pass through the playoff semi-finals with flying colours. Sheffield United demolished Bristol City at Ashton Gate in the first leg, to only go and replicate the same exhibition on home soil four days later.

Another fantastic display from Harrison Burrows helped chip in towards United’s three goals, as the full-back assisted both Kieffer Moore and Gustavo Hamer from the corner flag, on top of executing a sublime dummy for Callum O’Hare’s finish.

(Harrison Burrows Playoff Stats 2024/25: FotMob)

The Blades now head into a Wembley final bursting with confidence after brushing aside a playoff competitor twice on the spin. However, Sunderland will compare as a much tougher test. Not only do the pressures of Wembley and the fact it is one leg add to the occasion, but Sunderland have been a dreaded force all season Moreover, Regis Le Bris’ men shrugged off Sheffield United in their last meeting on New Year’s Day, as the 2-1 scoreline has left a sour taste amongst all Blades heading into this final.

Sunderland 1-1 Coventry City (3-2 Aggregate)

What elapsed to be another playoff thriller edged in the way of Sunderland in last week’s Championship Playoff second leg at the Stadium of Light. Whilst we all thought the first leg was a close affair packed with drama, this one topped it all off. The Black Cats evaded immense Coventry pressure once again in this second leg, making the Sky Blues’ loss ever more heartbreaking.

(Sheffield United vs Bristol City Second Leg Stats: FotMob)

A late Ephron Mason-Clark goal put Coventry one up on the night, to take the Sky Blues to extra time. However, their fate was soon sealed and it was not the outcome they were hoping for. In the very last play of extra time, Sunderland defender Dan Ballard found the end of a corner to nod the ball off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. Arguably the worst way to bow out of the playoffs, especially after failing to pounce on so many golden opportunities throughout the 210 minutes of both legs.

For Sunderland though, all Mackems are ecstatic. Another trip to Wembley for them brings them one step closer to the division which spat them out eight years ago and sent them tumbling down the leagues. One thing the Black Cats can learn from their semi-final triumph is that whatever the circumstances, they are able to print out goals in important moments. Although this may not be the most efficient way of playing football, it has brought them this far and sends warning signs to their opposition Sheffield United.

The Championship play-off final is set 🔒 pic.twitter.com/HBs9m6ZeQd

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) May 13, 2025

League One

Stockport 1-1 Leyton Orient (3-3 Aggregate – 1-4 Pens)

The first and only penalty shootout in this year’s EFL playoffs. Despite these two sides finishing three places apart in the league, the two legs of this semi-final were as tight as can be from start to finish. Two goals apiece at Brisbane Road followed into another level game at Edgeley Park, with the only separator coming from a series of spot kicks.

Oliver O’Niell’s early opener for Orient set the tone for an action-packed match away at Stockport. Chances amounted for the home side, until they finally got their break with 16 minutes left on the clock – Isaac Oloafe levelled the game with a grass-cutting strike from outside the box. After a 30-minute stalemate in extra time, penalties awaited. Both outfits buried their first spot kick, but then everything flipped on its head for the home side. Stockport’s Jack Diamond and Ryan Rydel both missed consecutive penalties, whilst Leyton Orient tucked away all three of their following kicks, sending the O’s to Wembley.

"ABSOLUTE SCENES!" 🤯

Ethan Galbraith slots home the winning penalty and Leyton Orient are heading to Wembley! 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/PFNWkuL4vF

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 14, 2025

Stockport’s brutal end to the season has put a dampener on their excellent campaign in League One; the Hatters finished third in their first year back in third tier after 15 years. Dave Challinor’s men are riding on an upwards trajectory right now after only being promoted from the National League three years ago. Therefore, County still have plenty more to prove and will be right amongst another promotion spectacle next season.

Charlton Athletic 1-0 Wycombe Wanderers (1-0 Aggregate)

The first leg of this tie was 90-minutes that none of us are ever getting back, after a dull match at Adams Park finished 0-0. This unexpected stalemate left very little anticipation heading into the reverse at The Valley, and so it should have as yet another mind-numbing show dented the exhilarating legacy of the playoffs.

We had to wait 171 minutes for a single goal in this semi-final, and it turned out to be the only one we were going to see. Charlton’s Matty Godden ambushed Wycombe’s defensive lapse of judgement, to stick the ball into an open net, less than ten minutes shy of the full-time whistle. This was punishment worthy of Wycombe’s inadequate form as of late, after falling from the top two race all the way down to fifth. Their recent inability to score certainly played its part across these two matches, as the Chairboys have only found the net once in their last five games.

(Wycombe Wanderers Last 5 Matches)

Charlton are now off to Wembley, for an all-London affair with Leyton Orient. The Addicks are pretty familiar with a Wembley playoff final, as Patrick Bauer’s last-ditch winner against Sunderland back in 2019 sent Charlton up to the Championship.

League Two

Walsall 2-1 Chesterfield (4-1 Aggregate)

Walsall’s League Two fall from grace has been the story of the league this season. In January, the Saddlers were 12 points clear at the top of the division. However, as their form took a nosedive, so did their position. Only three games won between January and the end of the season led them to the playoffs – where they have reconciled their recognisable form from earlier in the campaign.

In the first leg, they formed a two-goal gap on Chesterfield. As soon as Charlie Larkin made it three in the second leg at the Poundland Bescot Stadium, Walsall knew they were in for a day out at Wembley. An injury-time goal apiece late on meant nothing towards the final outcome, as all Saddlers finally had something to celebrate again.

𝗪𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗘𝗬! pic.twitter.com/S8aHwsg25v

— Walsall FC (@WFCOfficial) May 16, 2025

Chesterfield were never really in the tie. A two-goal deficit at home sent their promotion odds squandering. However, for their first season back in League Two, a playoff position is still a brilliant achievement for Paul Cook’s men.

Wimbledon 1-0 Notts County (2-0 Aggregate)

This semi-final proved just how important Notts County’s front two is to the fluidity of the team. The Magpies had the worst ending imaginable in the first leg at Meadow Lane. Losing 1-0 is something that could be fixed in the second leg, however losing David McGoldrick to an injury late on and receiving a 95th minute red card to Alassana Jatta is something irreversible. The two strikers have calculated a colossal collective of goals and assists in the division this season and proved to be a huge miss in the second leg.

(Jatta and McGoldrick 2024/25 League Two Stats: FotMob)

As foreseen, County could not overcome their trail. One goal is not an unrealistic ask in the playoffs, but with neither of your star players it was always going to be a challenge away from home. Wimbledon extended their lead to 2-0 after just eight minutes at Plough Lane, bringing Wembley within touching distance.

The game fizzled out as that scoreline, meaning that the Wombles have a playoff final date arranged with Walsall next Monday. It is fourth versus fifth in League Two who shall play underneath the arch, battling for their League One return.