Fulham back in Premier League after Bryan's extra-time double in playoff final

August 4, 2020 Fulham's Tom Cairney and Aleksandar Mitrovic as they celebrate promotion to the premier league with teammates after winning the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Action Images via Reuters

Fulham made an immediate return to the Premier League as two extra-time goals from full-back Joe Bryan gave them a 2-1 win over Brentford in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.

Bryan opened the scoring near the end of the first period of extra time when he spotted Brentford goalkeeper David Raya out of position and anticipating a cross from his deep free-kick before cleverly driving the ball into the bottom corner.

The Spanish keeper was slow to react, once Bryan had opted to shoot, but the lead was a deserved one for Scott Parker's side, who had the better of what had been a cagey 90 minutes.

Bryan made sure of the victory with a second goal three minutes from the end of the second period of extra time, clipping home from close range after a burst forward down the left and quick exchange with substitute Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Henrik Dalsgaard pulled a goal back for Brentford in the final seconds but there was no time for a recovery by the Bees, who were searching for a place in the top flight for the first time since 1947.

"I'm not the hero," said Bryan, as his team mates celebrated their swift return back to the Premier League a year after relegation -- an achievement worth around 135 million pounds ($176.34 million) over three years for the west London club.

"Every single one of them boys, players, staff, supporters, everything's been with us all season, it's been absolutely unbelievable. We've been written off, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times. I think I even read somewhere that we were supposed to be scared of them, but we took it to them we scored twice, they made it hard for us," added Bryan.