Villa instinct - Aston Villa put one foot in Play Off final with semi comeback v West Brom

11 May, 2019 14:14

Two goals in four minutes saw Aston Villa's bid to restore their Premier League status given a huge boost as they beat Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion 2-1 in their Championship play-off semi-final at Villa Park.

A Tammy Abraham penalty on 79 minutes ensured victory for the Villains just four minutes after Conor Hourihane had leveled for the home side from 25 yards just 8 minutes after coming off the bench on Saturday. 

West Brom's on-loan striker Dwight Gayle had opened the scoring on 16 minutes when capitalizing on an early mistake by Glenn Whelan.

Gayle's fortunes changed dramatically when just two minutes from time he was sent off for a second yellow offense for a late slide on Villa keeper Jed Steer.

Gayle, who won promotion to the Premier League with parent club Newcastle United in 2017, will now likely be suspended for the return leg at The Hawthorns on Tuesday. 

The day's other semi-final sees Marco Bielsa's Leeds United, who led the league for much of the first half of the season, take on Derby County, managed by ex-England international Frank Lampard.