LONDON (AFP) - West Bromwich Albion were promoted to the Premier League after two seasons away as champions of the second-tier Championship following a 2-0 win away to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.

Stoke City, who haven't played in English football's top flight since 1985, also gained automatic promotion after finishing runners-up after a goalless draw with Leicester City.

The result saw Leicester, who only four years ago were playing in the Premier League, relegated on the last day of the regular season.

Southampton, thanks in part to Leicester's draw, just saved themselves from the drop into League Two, English football's third tier, with a 3-2 win at home to Sheffield United.

Blackpool, promoted to the Championship last season, stayed up after a 1-1 draw with Watford.

Scunthorpe and bottom of the table Colchester were already relegated before Sunday's matches.

Hull (third) will play Watford (sixth), the early season leaders, and Bristol City (fourth) will face Crystal Palace (fifth) in the end of season play-off that will decide which side takes the third promotion place on offer.

Wolves just missed out on a play-off place because their goal difference was minus one worse than that of Watford.

The Championship play-off final takes place at Wembley on May 24.

West Brom have often been labelled the "best footballing side in the Championship" this term so the last thing QPR needed was to give Tony Mowbray's men additional assistance.

But they did that when Martin Rowlands was sent off in the 37th minute for a tackle on Jonathan Greening.

Albion made the man advantage count with second-half goals from on-loan South Korea midfielder Do-heon Kim (53) and Chris Brunt (77) at Loftus Road.

"This is a proud moment," said Mowbray. "When you think back to when we lost to Burnley on the opening day, we've come a long way.

"There's a great debate in football about whether it's all about winning or all about entertaining," added the Baggies boss, who this season also guided West Brom to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, where they lost to Portsmouth.

"There's got to be a balance and we've got that balance right," Mowbray insisted.

"You do need to adjust in the Premier League. There are better players there and you need to have a gameplan, but we'll still go out to try to win matches."

At the other end of the table, Southampton manager Nigel Pearson was the calmest man at St Mary's after home fans celebrated the south coast club's great escape with a mass pitch invasion after the final whistle.

Stern John scored twice after Marek Saganowski had head in Saints' first goal as they came from behind to beat the Blades and so leapfrog Leicester out of the bottom three.

"Relief is the overwhelming feeling at this time," said Pearson after Southampton had avoided playing in the third tier of English football for the first time in 48 years.

"At a number of points it looked like we were going to come out on the wrong side, so obviously I'm delighted."

Meanwhile Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd insisted his side, who for much of the season were candidates for automatic promotion, could put a run of just one win in 14 league games behind them in the play-offs.

"Form goes out of the window in the play-offs," he said.

"It's about big-game players and being big, strong and organised and keeping our nerve.

"That's what we've got to do and we've got as good a chance as any of other three sides."