STAYING UP!
Wagner joy as Huddersfield beat the drop
HUDDERSFIELD manager David Wagner gave his heroes permission for an all-night drinking session as they clinched Premier League survival. The Terriers’ draw at Chelsea secured another season in the top flight, sparking jubilant scenes at the final whistle. And their celebrations would have continued well into last night as Wagner confirmed the team had cancelled their flight back to Yorkshire, preferring to travel back by coach to allow more drinking time. ‘They have 48 hours and what they say we’ll do so we’ll go back by coach. Beers? There will be more than one,’ said Wagner. ‘This is an absolute over-achievement. It’s a bigger achievement than the promotion last season. If you have the passion, desire and spirit you can compete with top, top quality and you saw today that we can do it. We didn’t rely on anyone else, we did it ourselves. ‘We had luck, no doubt about it, but if any players deserve it it’s this set of players. ‘I never doubted their mental strength. We have so many experiences, the play-offs, the final, some very big dips in the season, five defeats in a row. We have always come back. I am so unbelievably proud. We have showed everybody that we are humble but we are ambitious. That is the town, and the club.’ Wagner was particularly indebted to goalkeeper Jonas Lossl, who clawed a header from fellow Dane Andreas Christensen on to the post in the final minutes. ‘It was definitely the most important save of my career,’ said Lossl. The draw dealt a near fatal blow to Chelsea’s hopes of finishing in the top four, and midfielder Cesc Fabregas appeared to snub a handshake from Wagner in the moments after the game. Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said: ‘The (top four) situation wasn’t in our hands before this game and, for sure, the possibility is less now. ‘I think that, at the end of the season, you finish in the position you deserve. We dropped too many points this season.’