Aston Villa 2-1 WBA: Advantage Villa

The season in the English Championship is all but over. Norwich City have finished on top, and along with the Canaries, Sheffield United have secured their return to the Premier League after 12 years.

The play-offs for the final spot leading into the top flight have begun, and in the first match of the semifinals, Aston Villa welcomed West Bromwich Albion to Villa Park.

Team News

Villa manager Dean Smith was able to count on striker Tammy Abraham, who had missed the final three games of the regular season due to a shoulder problem.

Jed Steer was in goal. Axel Tuanzebe and Tyrone Mings formed the centre-back partnership, with Neil Taylor on the left and Ahmed El Mohamady on the right. Glenn Whelan anchored the midfield, with Jack Grealish and John McGinn in advanced roles. Albert Adomah and Anwar El-Ghazi played wide in attack, supporting striker Tammy Abraham.

James Shan, temporarily acting as the WBA manager, was without the services of Robson-Hal Kanu who has started serving a three-match suspension following a red card against Derby County. The versatility of Chris Brunt is again at Shan’s disposal after missing the Rams game, while midfielder Jake Livermoore is a doubt with a foot problem.

Sam Johnstone stood between the posts. Ahmed Hegazi, Kyle Bartley and Craig Dawson played as the back three. Stefan Johansen and Chris Brunt were the engine in the middle of the team, flanked by wing-backs Kierran Gibs and Mason Holgate. Dwight Gayle and Matthew Phillips played either side of Jay Rodriguez in attack.

The First Half

It was Aston Villa who dominated possession early on and spent more time in the opposition half, but the first exciting moment fell at the other end after just over 10 minutes as Jay Rodriguez fired one from the edge of the box, but Steer produced a spectacular save by diverting it onto the post. Villa struck back through Abraham whose acrobatic volley flew over the bar.

But in the 16th minute, Villa’s Whelan miscontrolled a back-pass from Grealish and Gayle pounced. The WBA forward took the ball, ran to the edge of the box and fired his team into the lead from there with a low powerful drive.

0-1.

The home side shook off the shock from conceding unexpectedly and took control of possession again. The controversial Jack Grealish kept weaving his magic and caused the visitors some problems, and in the 28th minute he came close to an equalizer as he cut inside from the left and took a shot from a tight angle, just over the bar.

The Baggies on the other hand, whenever in possession, took their time and look to kill the game off as much as possible, and they only occasionally looked to find another hole in Villa’s defence, but the scoreline suited them perfectly and time worked for them.

But Villa kept attacking and whipping cross after cross into the box, and in the 34th minute Holgate tried to stop one from El-Ghazi and committed a foul which got him into referee Graham Scott’s book. The free-kick, taken by Grealish, was defended well and WBA sprang forward, but they overcomplicated the counterattack and it went begging.

But now the visitors tried to put in more effort into the contest in the middle of the park, but it simply wasn’t what they’re used to doing and Villa had no difficulty in forcing them back again. However, with WBA set very well at the back, all of the home team’s domination was in vain. They simply couldn’t get through and direct a proper threat towards Sam Johnstone.

Around five minutes before the break, a cause for concern appeared on the horizon for the visitors. Dawson stayed down and had to receive medial assistance, but he came back on after a while.

Villa continued their search for an opportunity to equalize in the final minutes of the half, but the best they could produce was a low shot from long range by Mings that Johnstone had no problems in dealing with.

The Second Half

Dawson was unable to play on, and Tyrone Mears came out after break in his place.

Villa continued playing much as they had in the first half, still in control of possession, still looking rather flat. With three minutes gone, Adomah was a bit lazy as he waited for a pass from the back and he was dispossessed by an accurate tackle from Hegazi. However, the referee not only made the mistake of giving a foul for it, but he also booked the WBA defender.

Villa pressed on but they just couldn’t find a way to play into the box, while every cross they whipped in got cleared without problems.

Things sprang alive in the 52nd minute as Tuanzebe’s misplaced pass made WBA players go forward in numbers, but they only contrived to open up some space at the back which Abraham took advantage of and burst into the box from right, got past his marker and took a shot from a tight angle, forcing a good save from Johnstone. The striker threatened again three minutes later with a headed from El-Ghazi’s well weighed cross, just missing the target.

At that point, the visitors checked to see if the period of Villa attacking got the home team’s defence to lower their guard and they suddenly moved into the opposition half. They spent a few minutes there and took a corner, but all they managed to gain was the time that went by.

Villa soon pushed forward once more. Their attacks got more varied, and they tried a few shots from range, but the equalizer still couldn’t be found.

Around the hour-mark a swift counterattack led by Gayle allowed West Brom to spent some more time in the opposition half, with the same result as before, apart from the winger earning a yellow card for hesitating with a throw-in.

The Baggies were prepared to do whatever it takes to keep the favorable result. They resorted to spats on the pitch, targeting players prone to confrontation like Grealish and Abraham, and it worked well as the pace of the game dropped quite significantly.

Further more, Shan made his second substitution of the game in the 67th minute as Jacob Murphy replaced the ineffective Phillips, and Smith responded with a double switch. Adomah and Whelan made way for Andre Green and Conor Hourihane.

Still the game went on mostly as it had before. Villa with more possession but without real opportunities, WBA occasionally looking to hit on the counterattack but without real purpose. And whenever they could, the Baggies did their best to slow the game down.

But in the 75th minute, Villa’s initiative finally paid off. Grealish took the ball on the edge of the box and danced his way in, before setting up Hourihane for a shot from 20 yards and the substitute sent a rocket to the inside of the side netting.

1-1.

Two minutes later, the home team were further rewarded and they managed to turn the game around. Grealish was at the heart of it again as he broke into the box from the right flank, forcing a late sliding tackle from Gibbs which brought him down. Graham Scott had no doubts as he blew the whistle and rightfully pointed to the penalty spot. Abraham stepped up and sent the ‘keeper to one side and the ball to the other.

2-1.

West Brom tried to respond to going down, but they soon faced further problems. With 84 minutes gone, Johansen stayed down injured, and Shan didn’t hesitate to send on James Morrison in his place.

The visitors now moved into the opposition half with much more determination than before, but that determination got the better of Gayle in the 88th minute. The forward was chasing a cross into six yards but Steer got there first, and then got caught by the reckless Gayle. The referee didn’t hesitate this time either; Gayle received his second yellow card and left the pitch.

The last change of the game was forced as El-Ghazi had to go off due to injury.

Despite being a man down, WBA tried to go forward during the seven-minute stoppage time, but they simply had no strength and Villa took the game towards Johnstone’s goal. Following a long spell around the WBA box, Green had a good chance to add a third for his team but his shot on a turn went over the bar.

The Afterthought

The results reflects the football played by the two teams well. West Brom were very disciplined and kept things tight at the back. Gayle’s opener came from a typical situation they were trying to use throughout the contest, and it looked for a long time that their approach would work, but the home side certainly deserved the turnaround.

Villa kept their belief and stuck to their plan and their task, and was eventually the Baggies who blinked first.

On the other hand, things are far from settled after the first leg. West Brom got their away goal, and they will fancy their chances in the rematch at the Hawthorns. Villa will have to prepare well for their onset, which is now practically inevitable from the first whistle. The Baggies will, however, be without Gayle after the winger received his marching orders in this game.

Match Report

ASTON VILLA: Steer 7, Tuenzebe 6.5, Mings 7, El Mohamady 7.5, Taylor 7, Whelan 6 (67′ Hourihane 7.5), Grealish 8.5, McGinn 6, El-Ghazi 7.5 (90′ Kodjia), Adomah 6 (67′ Green 7) , Abraham 7.5.

WEST BROM: Johnstone 7, Hegazi 7, Bartley 6.5, Dawson 6.5 (46′ Mears 6.5), Johansen 6 (85′ Morrison N/A), Brunt 6.5, Gibbs 7, Holgate 7, Gayle 7.5, Phillips 5.5 (66′ Murphy 6.5), Rodriguez 7.

GOALS: Gayle 16′, Hourihane 75′, Abraham (P) 79′.

YELLOW CARDS: Holgate 33′, Hegazi 48′, Gayle 62′, 88′, Gibbs 77′.

RED CARD: Gayle 88′ (2nd yellow).

REFEREE: Graham Scott.

DATE & VENUE: May 11, 2019, Villa Park, Birmingham.