Aston Villa made their way back into the Premier League as they defeated Derby County in a hard-fought contest in the final of the Championship play-offs. Goals from Anwar El-Ghazi and John McGinn were enough to get the Villans past the Rams. Frank Lampard’s side tried to get back in the match via Martyn Waghorn’s late strike, but it was not enough to get his team over the line.
Dean Smith and John Terry’s men took the lead right before the halftime whistle as El-Ghazi found the back of the net for the Villans. McGinn doubled the lead in the 59th minute, and the game looked well over the Rams. However, substitute Waghorn pulled one back for his side in a show of late resurgence from Lampard’s men, but it was too little too late to get his team over the line.
Here is how the Aston Villa players were rated from their win against Derby County.
Jed Steer: 7
Made a few good saves throughout the match. Was not to blame for the goal. Showed a lot of heart.
Ahmed Elmohamady: 7
Kept getting the ball into the danger area throughout the match. Opened up the Derby defence with a brilliant ball to find El-Ghazi who scored the first goal for his side.
Axel Tuanzebe: 6.5
His ability to intercept the dangerous balls helped evade the danger in the initial stages of the match. Looked a bit under pressure in the second half but did well to keep his side out of harm’s way.
Tyrone Mings: 7
Kept playing on the shoulders of the opposition attackers. The timing of his tackles was spot on throughout the match.
Neil Taylor: 6
Did not allow the likes of Mason Mount and Harry Wilson to cause too much trouble. Could not participate much in the attack though.
Conor Hourihane: 7
His long balls initiated the attacks from the midfield. Ran up and down the pitch to cover a lot of ground.
John McGinn: 8
His subtle runs into the opposition half caused trouble for the opposition. Notched up the second goal of the match with a good strike.
Jack Grealish: 7.5
Kept deceiving the Derby defenders with his classy footwork throughout the match. Made some great runs into the box to create a few opportunities for his side.
Anwar El Ghazi: 8
An absolute livewire on the pitch as he got past the defenders with ease. Got the reward for his excellent work as he opened the scoring for his side in the 44th minute.
Albert Adomah: 6
A decent effort in the first half followed by an average outing in the second. Lacked the accuracy in his passing.
Tammy Abraham: 6.5
Caused trouble for the opposition defenders with his physical presence in the box. Did some decent defensive duty towards the end of the match to deny the Rams a comeback.
Substitutes
Andre Green: 5
Nothing special from the substitute striker.
Kortney Hause: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
