Four things we learned from Southampton’s play-off final win over Leeds United

The Sanctify march towards First league after a tactical masterclass saw them overcome the favourites Leeds United.

After Lilywhites they finished on 90 points and cruelly missed out on promotion, they were favorites to secure promotion via the play-offs.

Yet Russell MartinHis side put in an attacking effort performance while being solid at the back.

After a lively start from Leeds with no clear cut chances, Adam Armstrong took the first chance on goal.

Will Smallbone did brilliantly, sending a lovely through ball to Southampton’s number nine, giving him all the time to slot his finish into the bottom corner.

Armstrong went close again from a well taken free kick when his shot was saved by Illan Meslier.

Despite the attacking quality Leeds had, they rarely tested Alex McCarthy.

The closest Daniel FarkeHis team reached the tie was Dan Jameslightning effort hitting the bar.

Southampton had 12 minutes of extra time to deservedly put them back in the Premier League.

Expectations were high that one of Leeds’ brightest players would make the difference at Wembley.

However, Armstrong’s superb season is gone and it should have come as no surprise how clinical he was when it counted.

Previous Blackburn Rovers The man has found it difficult to adapt to the Premier League, scoring just four goals in two seasons with Sanctify.

Armstrong has adapted seamlessly to the second tier, with 24 goals and 13 assists in 49 appearances this season.

The 27-year-old will be hoping he can use this season as a boost to the top flight.

• Leeds stumble into the play-offs again

This was a play-off campaign in which Leeds wanted to avoid history.

Unfortunately for them, they have now played in four play-off finals without securing promotion.

Leeds just didn’t turn up at Wembley and didn’t look like the same team that blew Norwich away in the play-off semi-final.

For a team boasting so much attacking talent, none of Leeds’ forwards looked threatening.

Despite playing a lot, they mustered just two shots on goal on the big stage.

Championship player of the season Crysencio Summerville was notably quiet, the Dutchman being replaced after a disappointing display.

Dan James made an impact from the bench and almost leveled spectacularly as his half-volley crashed off the crossbar.

It would have flattered Leeds though, as they suffered the defeat on the better side.

• Russell Martin adapts the principles

Martin has been accused of sticking to his principles in order to acclimatize to opposition styles.

The Southampton manager fine-tuned his tactics, going with a back three to contain Leeds’ attacking players.

Allowed Sanctify to flood the midfield and gave Smallborn license to go forward like for the goal.

Martin’s side usually don’t give away that much possession, but only 43% of the ball suited them.

Once Southampton went forward they were able to play on the counter-attack which Armstrong and Brooks’ pace before the latter went off injured.

There have been skeptics about Martin’s ability to adapt, which could cost him the Premier League.

But based on the performance at Wembley, there should be no worries.

• Are the players on the move from Elland Road?

It felt like it was make or break for Leeds in many ways.

The biggest loss for the Yorkshire club will be the players leaving.

To stay FFP compliant, Leeds must raise £100m from player sales.

The likes of Summerville, Archie Gray and Willy Gnotto were linked to several clubs.

There is a lot of Premier League quality at Elland Road who should not be playing in the second tier.

It therefore felt like a last dance situation and Leeds came up short.

It would be a great loss not to receive Joe Roden back on loan again or on a permanent deal thanks to his presence at the back throughout the campaign.

There will be questions about Farke’s future, but the potential loss of key players will worry the fan base.