Jamie Vardy’s double helped Leicester City clinch the Championship title as the already-promoted Foxes cruised to a crowning victory at Preston North End.
The 37-year-old former England striker, whose goals previously fired the Foxes to a Premier League title and FA Cup glory, added to his reputation as a Leicester legend with a goal in each half to take his season tally to 20 in all competitions.
Kasey McAteer added a third with a close-range header for a completely dominant Leicester, who have become the fourth club—after Burnley, Fulham and Norwich—in as many years to make an immediate Premier League return as Championship title winners following relegation.
Leicester can now equal a 104-year record for most second division wins—set by Tottenham in the 1919–20 season with 32—when they host Blackburn on the final day of the campaign on Saturday.
The 31 wins the Foxes already have equal the club record, matching the side that went up a decade ago.
Victory would also see Leicester become the first club to twice win promotion to the top flight by amassing 100 points or more.
Foxes boss Enzo Maresca, who was appointed after they dropped out of the Premier League, said going back up as title winners was a “fantastic” achievement after a “tough, difficult and intense” campaign.
“In the end, we did it, and we have brought this club to where it deserves to be,” he told BBC Radio Leicester, adding that “in this moment, the relief is big, but now it is time to enjoy it.”
Tenth-placed Preston, whose lingering play-off aspirations were snuffed out by QPR nine days earlier, made the Foxes work hard for their first-half chances as they tried to avoid having the Championship trophy hoisted by Leicester at Deepdale.
Preston goalkeeper Freddie Woodman rushed off his line to deny Vardy, then saved well again soon after to foil McAteer, who went on to squander a huge headed chance from close range just before the half-hour mark.
Leicester’s leading scorer, Vardy, eventually gave the visitors a deserved lead with a scuffed first-time finish as he swivelled on to a Yunus Akgun cutback to find the bottom corner.
When he pounced for his second early in the second half, smashing the rebound home after Wout Faes crashed a shot off the post, Vardy had the visiting fans joyously celebrating a coronation party.
In his 12 years with Leicester, Vardy has now scored 190 goals in 463 appearances.
The striker was there 10 years ago when they last won promotion and the Championship title, and, after symbolising all the success that followed, he returned with the Foxes to the second tier once more.
His dominant presence and goals have been vital in returning Premier League football to King Power Stadium, but with the striker out of contract in the summer, the value of his continued presence will undoubtedly be emotively debated in the coming weeks.
“Jamie has always scored goals in his life, and he will always score goals,” said Foxes boss Maresca.
“He has helped us a lot this season on and off the pitch—him, Marc Albrighton, Conor Coady, Jannik Vestergaard and all the experienced players.”
It took a smart save from Woodman to deny Vardy a memorable hat-trick, but McAteer did make it 3-0 soon after, as he nodded home after being found unmarked by Abdul Fatawu, who then went on to hit the woodwork in search of a fourth.