Championship play-offs: Do away goals count in Luton Town v Sunderland and Middlesbrough v Coventry second legs?

Sunderland face Luton Town away tonight hoping to make it to Wembley, while Middlesbrough host Coventry City on Wednesday evening.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Sunderland are just one game away from a Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Luton Town stand in the way of Tony Mowbray's Sunderland side, who take a slender 2-1 lead to Luton on Tuesday night.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Goals from Amad Diallo and Trai Hume have given Sunderland the slight advantage. But do away goals count in the second leg? The short answer is no.

We take a closer look at the rules, with this definitive guide from the EFL website.

"The winner of a semi-finals is decided by the tie's aggregate score after the two legs. If the aggregate score is level at the end of the 90 minutes of the second leg, then an additional 30 minutes of extra time is played to try to create a winning team. If the score at the end of extra time is still level then the tie is decided by penalty kicks. Away goals do not count in the play-off semi final matches. "

And what about the potential final?

The EFL add: "The two winners from the semi-finals meet at a neutral venue in the final. The final must be decided on the day, so extra time and penalties may be carried out if the scores are level. The winner of the tie gains promotion to the league above the one they are currently in."

The other game between Middlesbrough and Coventry City takes place Wednesday evening at The Riverside, the first leg ended goalless.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.