On Monday evening, Sheffield United booked their place in the final with a 3-0 second-leg victory over Bristol City, giving them a record 6-0 aggregate scoreline for a playoff semi-final.
Sheffield United have the worst record in EFL playoff history
Though Blades fans will undoubtedly be delighted at the prospect of another crack at the big time, there will be some reticence given that the club have the worst record in EFL playoff history. Unbelievably, in nine previous playoff campaigns, Sheffield United have lost out every time.
That said, in the regular Championship season, only the top two sides Leeds and Burnley with 14 and 15 clean sheets respectively managed more than Chris Wilder's side, and that might explain the manager's bullishness ahead of the final.
“I don’t feel there’s a negativity because of our previous campaigns,” he said. “It feels (as if there is) a freshness about it… a real belief that we can make history and put to bed all that."
With a recorded 2.77 xG in total from their first leg, United's second-highest tally in any Championship match this season, it's no wonder that Wilder believes his side are made of the right stuff.
Although Bristol City huffed and puffed at Bramall Lane, only 10 of 60 teams had progressed from the semi-final stage after losing their first leg on home soil - and no side had ever come back from a three-goal margin of defeat at home in the first leg to reach the final.
Just three shots in the box from the visitors, one each from Ross McCrorie, Scott Twine and Nahki Wells, was never going to reverse that piece of footballing history.
Liam Manning's side did work the ball well, and their 550 passes - of which 472 were accurate (85.5% completion) - was in excess of their hosts, but always chasing the game meant that the urgency with which they needed to play the game often led to silly mistakes.
Only winning possession back on a single occasion rather summed up City's evening.
Sunderland's first win over Coventry since February 2007
Tuesday's semi-final second-leg between Sunderland and Coventry City was more finely poised with the Black Cats having a slender 2-1 lead before kick-off at the Stadium of Light having handed the Sky Blues their first-ever defeat in the playoffs (W3 D3).
Despite being a goal down, history favoured Frank Lampard's expansive side, given that the first-leg win for Sunderland was actually their first victory against this opponent since February 2007.
It ended a run of 10 games without a victory against the Midlanders (D5 L5), whilst Coventry had won two of their last five away games against Regis Le Bris' side in all competitions (D3), having won just one of their first 18 visits to the Black Cats (D8 L9).
Lampard will probably have been aware, however, that Sunderland had never lost a home leg in the Football League playoffs, winning seven of their eight games (drawing one) at Roker Park/Stadium of Light.
The form of both sides leading into the game might've been a cause for concern too.
Sunderland lost their last three home games 1-0 in the regular season - last losing four consecutive home games in all competitions in September 2017 - whilst Coventry were without a win in their final five away games (D1 L4), having won four in a row on the road before that.
The game itself, as expected, was full of attacking intent from both sides and with 36 shots between them it's a wonder that more goals weren't scored.
Lampard will feel rightfully aggrieved at how his side lost the game, given that the away side were on top in virtually every aspect of play, though 45 crosses into the box and only one goal would suggest a profligacy to the Coventry attack not in keeping with the way the former England international has had them playing for much of the 2024/25 campaign.
Coventry didn't take their chances and paid the price
Ephron Mason-Clark's 76th-minute goal for the visitors certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons and was no more than they deserved after having more than two-thirds of possession in the second half.
Level on aggregate, the game was then Coventry's to go on and win as they'd avoided defeat in their last four matches when scoring first in the Championship, whilst Sunderland had failed to win any of their last seven matches when conceding first.
No further goals in normal time saw a manic period of extra-time and just as the match looked to be heading to penalties, up popped Daniel Ballard in the 121st minute to win the match with a towering header.
When Lampard and his staff review just how they lost a game in which they dominated possession and had a much better pass accuracy, things will surely point to the fact that they lost possession on an astonishing 181 separate occasions. Only Hadji Wright from the starting XI managed to keep under double figures in this regard.
Now the stage is set for another epic final between two of the biggest clubs in the Championship.
Sheffield United are denoted as the home team, and they face Sunderland under the Wembley arch in 'the richest game in football' on Saturday, May 24.
