It was a hard fought match at the Hawthorns as West Bromwich Albion could not restrict Aston Villa from becoming the first team to enter the Championship playoff final. After Villa managed to win the first leg by 2-1, the only goal of the second leg was scored by Craig Dawson in regular time, which took the match into extra time and then into the shootouts. The Villans won the penalty shootout by 3-4 and are now headed to the final.
Both the sides initially turned on the heat with their attacking game, but it was West Brom who controlled the match. Craig Dawson scored the only goal of the game from an assist by Mason Holgate which squared off things in the overall tie. The red card to Chris Brunt helped Aston Villa get more control in the game for the final ten minutes of regulation time and the thirty extra minutes. After a stalemate in extra time, Holgate and Ahmed Hegazi both missed their spot-kicks for the Baggies while Albert Adomah missed his kick too for the Villans during the penalty shootout, taking it right down to the wire. However, Tammy Abraham kept his nerves and found the back of the net to end all hopes for the hosts to make it back to the Premier League once more.
Here is how the Aston Villa players were rated from their win against West Bromwich Albion.
Jed Steer: 8
Made some excellent saves throughout the match. Kept his nerves to get his side into the final with saves from Holgate and Hegazi’s shots in the shootout.
Ahmed Elmohamady: 6
Went up the pitch with good pace but his backtracking looked weak. Looked tired in the second half and was substituted.
Axel Tuanzebe: 7
Kept his side out of harm’s way for most of the match with his physical presence in the box. His decision making was spot on.
Tyrone Mings: 6
Could have done better to challenge Dawson and prevent him from scoring the goal. Took on the opposition attackers head on and kept them quiet throughout the night.
Neil Taylor: 6
Looked wayward with his defensive work. Made some good tackles though.
John McGinn: 6.5
Kept the ball under control and passed it to initiate attacks from the midfield. Lacked a little bit of composure in the second half though.
Conor Hourihane: 7
Looked like a livewire whenever he got the ball. The hero from the first leg was handed responsibility in the second one, and he did not disappoint.
Jack Grealish: 6.5
Made some good runs with the ball from the midfield into the box. Lacked the accuracy on his shots though.
Andre Green: 6
Deceived the opposition defenders a few times with his classy footwork. Lacked the final touch as well as the impact though.
Anwar El Ghazi: 6.5
Tried his best to get the ball into the danger area and initiated some outstanding moves as well. Took a few knocks in the process. Lacked the accuracy on his passes though.
Tammy Abraham: 7.5
Posed an ominous threat on the West Brom goal with his shooting abilities and accuracy. Kept his nerve to score the winning penalty for his side and get them through to the final of the Championship.
Substitutes
Albert Adomah: 4
Looked far from impactful. Missed his shot in the shootout.
Jonathan Kodjia: 5
Nothing special from the substitute striker.
Keinan Davis: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
Mile Jedinak: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating. Took an excellent penalty shot though.
