Sheffield United commenced their campaign to return to the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Preston North End on Friday, while Blackburn Rovers handed Derby County a tough welcome back to the Championship with a 4-2 defeat.
The Blades, relegated from the Premier League last season, made a promising start to their promotion efforts. Oliver Arblaster’s deflected shot put them ahead in the 12th minute. In the second half, Gustavo Hamer capitalized on a mistake by Preston goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, securing the win for Sheffield United.
Blackburn, who narrowly avoided relegation to League One last season, demonstrated their strength against Derby. Although Sammie Szmodics, last season’s Championship top scorer, began on the bench—reportedly a target for Ipswich Town—he still made his mark by contributing a goal and an assist in the second half.
Debutants Andreas Weimann and Yuki Ohashi also found the net for Blackburn, following an early goal by Tyrhys Dolan. Curtis Nelson and Kane Wilson scored for Derby, but the Rams faced a difficult reintroduction to the Championship after their promotion from League One last season.
