2018 EFL Championship play-off final

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2018 EFL Championship play-off Final
The match was played at Wembley Stadium.
Event2017–18 EFL Championship
Aston Villa Fulham
0 1
Date26 May 2018
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchTom Cairney
RefereeAnthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Attendance85,243
WeatherWarm
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The 2018 EFL Championship play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 26 May 2018 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Aston Villa and Fulham. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2017–18 EFL Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2018–19 season in the Premier League; Fulham ended the season in third place while Aston Villa finished fourth. Winning the game was estimated to be worth £160 million to the successful team.

The 2018 final, refereed by

1975 FA Cup Final and marked their return to the Premier League for the first time since their relegation in the 2013–14 season
.

Fulham ended the next season in 19th place and were relegated back to the Championship, despite finishing ten points ahead of bottom club Huddersfield Town. Aston Villa finished fifth in the 2018–19 EFL Championship and secured a 2–1 victory in the play-off final which saw them promoted to the Premier League for the 2019–20 season.

Route to the final

Main article: 2017–18 EFL Championship
Football League Championship final table, leading positions[1]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 30 9 7 82 39 +43 99
2 Cardiff City 46 27 9 10 69 39 +30 90
3 Fulham 46 25 13 8 79 46 +33 88
4 Aston Villa 46 24 11 11 72 42 +30 83
5 Middlesbrough 46 22 10 14 67 45 +22 76
6 Derby County 46 20 15 11 70 48 +22 75

play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Fulham finished two points behind Cardiff City (who were promoted in second place) and eleven behind league winners Wolverhampton Wanderers, despite only having lost one game more than the champions. Aston Villa ended the season five points behind Fulham and seven points ahead of fifth-placed Middlesbrough.[1]

Despite dominating possession in the first leg of their semi-final against Derby County, Fulham lost the match with Cameron Jerome scoring the only goal.[2] The second leg once again saw Fulham in control, and with second-half goals from Ryan Sessegnon and Denis Odoi, an aggregate 2–1 victory ensured the London club qualify for the playoff final.[3]

Aston Villa won the first of their semi-final matches against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium with a score of 1–0. A first-half header from Mile Jedinak secured the victory in a game of few chances.[4] A goalless draw in the return leg at the Villa Park meant Villa won the play-off semi-finals 1–0 on aggregate to qualify for the final. Tony Pulis, the Middlesbrough manager, was disappointed that Villa goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was not sent off for handling the ball outside the box with two minutes of the match remaining. Middlesbrough were also denied a last-minute goal which would have taken the tie into extra time when Stewart Downing's direct free kick struck the bar.[5]

Aston Villa Round Fulham
Opponent Result Legs Semi-finals Opponent Result Legs
Middlesbrough 1–0 1–0 away; 0–0 home Derby County 2–1 0–1 away; 2–0 home

Match

Background

Ryan Sessegnon (pictured in 2020) was Fulham's top scorer and appeared in every league match during the 2017–18 Championship season.

This was Aston Villa's first play-off final, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the

1975 FA Cup Final.[3] During the regular season, Fulham had lost to Villa at Villa Park 2–1 in October 2017, despite dominating possession, but won the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage in February 2018.[8][9] Ryan Sessegnon was ever-present and top scorer for Fulham with 16 goals, while Albert Adomah had scored the most during Aston Villa's regular season, with 14 goals from 41 appearances.[9]

The game was considered a "classic clash of styles" by the

Matt Targett, for Southampton and Stefan Johansen, for Norway.[11] The Fulham starting line-up was unchanged from their semi-final aggregate win. Ahmed Elmohamady returned to the Aston Villa starting eleven having missed out on the second leg of the semi-finals with a hamstring injury picked up at the end of the first leg, replacing James Bree who sat on the bench.[12]

The final was refereed by

Sky Sports Main Event and on ESPN+ in the United States.[10][17]

First half

Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrović kicked off at 5 p.m. in front of a crowd of 85,243 people, in warm conditions.[15] Neither team dominated the early stages, and in the 8th minute, Villa's James Chester was booked for a foul on Mitrović.[11] After 15 minutes, the pitchside temperature was measured at 90 °F (32 °C). Fulham continued to pass the ball around and on 20 minutes, Aboubakar Kamara's looping shot landed on the roof of the Villa net. Soon after, Chester was forced to make a clearance as Fulham began to take control of the match. In the 23rd minute, they made their superiority count and took the lead through a Tom Cairney strike.[18] Sessegnon evaded a challenge from Hourihane 30 yards (27 m) from the Villa goal, and advanced, playing an accurately weighted pass to Cairney who passed the ball into the net past Sam Johnstone. Half an hour in, Villa claims for a red card were denied by the referee Anthony Taylor for Ryan Fredericks who appeared to deliberately stamp on Grealish. Although Villa briefly dominated the game, Fulham were soon back on top although another foul on Grealish, this time from Denis Odoi, earned the London club their second yellow card of the afternoon. With five minutes of the half remaining, Robert Snodgrass' chipped a pass to Grealish who controlled the ball, only to strike it over the Fulham bar. In the 42nd minute, a mix-up between Chester and Johnstone allowed Mitrović in on an empty goal, only for Chester to redeem himself with a clearance. Two minutes of additional time were played before the half ended 1–0 to Fulham.[15]

Second half

Aston Villa kicked off the second half and quickly both Grealish and Lewis Grabban pressed higher up the pitch, putting pressure on Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.[19] In the 50th minute, a cross from Adomah was met by Snodgrass, but his header was high over the bar. Three minutes later, Grealish's header from another Adomah cross was charged down by Bettinelli. Midway through the second half, a snaking run from Grealish saw him pass three Fulham defenders but his shot was saved.[15] He was then shown a yellow card for a poor challenge on Cairney.[11] Kevin McDonald's shot on 67 minutes was deflected out but the subsequent corner was headed wide.[15] In the 70th minute, Odoi was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for kicking Grealish in the chest, leaving Fulham to defend their lead with ten men for the remaining 20 minutes of the match.[19] Fulham's struggling midfielder Johansen was substituted off in the 72nd minute, to be replaced by Oliver Norwood. Soon after Mitrović missed an opportunity to double Fulham's advantage, shooting high and wide of the Villa goal. Jedinak was then booked for a foul on Mitrović before Kamara also received a yellow card after time-wasting as he was substituted for Tomáš Kalas. A minute later, Steve Bruce made two attacking substitutions for Villa, bringing on Jonathan Kodjia for Elmohamady and Josh Onomah for Jedinak. Scott Hogan was then brought on for Hourihane who was struggling with injury, and Fredericks was replaced by Cyrus Christie for Fulham.[19] With less than five minutes of the match remaining, Alan Hutton was booked for a bad challenge on Mitrović. A late free kick for Snodgrass which he struck wide was followed by the announcement of five minutes of additional time. Hogan missed a chance for Villa before a possible Grealish penalty was waved away by the referee. A Sessegnon free kick was cleared and Villa attacked but with no end product, and the match ended in a 1–0 victory for Fulham.[15]

Details

Aston Villa0–1Fulham
Report Cairney 23'
Attendance: 85,243
Aston Villa
Fulham
GK 1 England Sam Johnstone
RB 27 Egypt Ahmed Elmohamady downward-facing red arrow 77'
CB 5 Wales James Chester Yellow card 8'
CB 26 England John Terry (c)
LB 21 Scotland Alan Hutton Yellow card 86'
DM 15 Australia Mile Jedinak Yellow card 76' downward-facing red arrow 77'
CM 10 England Jack Grealish Yellow card 63'
CM 14 Republic of Ireland Conor Hourihane downward-facing red arrow 82'
RW 7 Scotland Robert Snodgrass
LW 37 Ghana Albert Adomah
CF 45 England Lewis Grabban
Substitutes:
GK 31 England Mark Bunn
DF 16 England James Bree
MF 6 Republic of Ireland Glenn Whelan
MF 18 England Josh Onomah upward-facing green arrow 77'
MF 20 Iceland Birkir Bjarnason
FW 9 Republic of Ireland Scott Hogan upward-facing green arrow 82'
FW 22 Ivory Coast Jonathan Kodjia upward-facing green arrow 77'
Manager:
England Steve Bruce
GK 1 England Marcus Bettinelli
RB 2 England Ryan Fredericks downward-facing red arrow 83'
CB 4 Belgium Denis Odoi Yellow card 38' Yellow-red card 70'
CB 13 United States Tim Ream
LB 21 England Matt Targett
CM 6 Scotland Kevin McDonald
CM 8 Norway Stefan Johansen downward-facing red arrow 72'
CM 10 Scotland Tom Cairney (c)
RW 47 France Aboubakar Kamara Yellow card 77' downward-facing red arrow 77'
LW 3 England Ryan Sessegnon
CF 32 Serbia Aleksandar Mitrović
Substitutes:
GK 27 England David Button
DF 22 Republic of Ireland Cyrus Christie upward-facing green arrow 83'
DF 26 Czech Republic Tomáš Kalas upward-facing green arrow 77'
MF 11 Togo Floyd Ayité
MF 16 Northern Ireland Oliver Norwood upward-facing green arrow 72'
FW 9 Portugal Rui Fonte
FW 20 Brazil Lucas Piazon
Manager:
Serbia Slaviša Jokanović
Statistics[14]
Aston Villa Fulham
Goals scored 0 1
Shots on target 2 3
Shots off target 10 12
Fouls committed 14 15
Corner kicks 0 3
Yellow cards 1 4
Red cards 0 1

Post-match

The Villa manager Steve Bruce was unhappy in particular that Fredericks had escaped any kind of punishment for his challenge on Grealish, stating: "First half we didn't do enough. But a big decision then went against us. The red card was very early and I know we don't want to see a game ruined early, but I was right in front of the incident – he stamps on him."[18] Slaviša Jokanović, the Fulham head coach, said "It was a really important victory for us and we deserved it. It's not easy to play with lots of pressure, with lots of young players, and on the other side lots of experience".[20] Tom Cairney was named the man of the match.[14]

Fulham ended the next season, their first in the Premier League since they were relegated in the 2013–14 campaign, in 19th place and were relegated back to the Championship. Despite finishing ten points ahead of bottom club Huddersfield Town, Fulham concluded the season ten points from safety having conceded 81 goals, the most in the league.[21] Aston Villa finished fifth in the 2018–19 EFL Championship and secured a 2–1 victory in the play-off final which saw them promoted to the Premier League for the 2019–20 season.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b "League Championship end of season table for 2017–18 season". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. ^ Phillips, Owen (11 May 2018). "Derby County 1–0 Fulham". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  3. ^ a b Smee, Gary (14 May 2018). "Fulham 2–0 Derby County". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 8 May 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. ^ Newsum, Matt (12 May 2018). "Middlesbrough 0–1 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  5. ^ Scott, Ged (15 May 2018). "Middlesbrough 0–0 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  6. ^ Wilson, Paul (16 April 2016). "Aston Villa relegated from Premier League after defeat by Manchester United". The Observer. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  7. ^ "League Championship table at close of 2016–17 season". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Aston Villa football club match record: 2018". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "Aston Villa vs Fulham: Championship play-off final preview". William Hill. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  10. ^ a b Dudko, James (25 May 2018). "Championship Play-Off Final 2018: Aston Villa vs. Fulham Live Stream and Preview". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d e Brewin, John (26 May 2018). "Fulham beat Aston Villa 1–0 in Championship play-off final – as it happened (3 of 3)". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  12. ^ Maher, Matt (26 May 2018). "Championship play-off final: Aston Villa 0 Fulham 1 – Report and pictures". Express & Star. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Play-Off Final: Match officials confirmed for Championship showdown". English Football League. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  14. ^ a b c Cartwright, Phil (26 May 2018). "Aston Villa 0–1 Fulham". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Dean, Sam; Gibbs, Thom (26 May 2018). "Fulham win promotion to Premier League after beating Aston Villa in Championship play-off final". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Aston Villa v Fulham: Championship play-off final 'worth £160m' to winners". BBC Sport. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  17. ^ Haigh, Phil (22 May 2018). "When is the Championship play-off final? Aston Villa vs Fulham kick-off time, odds, TV channel and live stream". Metro. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  18. ^ a b Brewin, John (26 May 2018). "Fulham beat Aston Villa 1–0 in Championship play-off final – as it happened (2 of 3)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  19. ^ a b c Brewin, John (26 May 2018). "Fulham beat Aston Villa 1–0 in Championship play-off final – as it happened (1 of 3)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  20. ^ McInnes, Paul (26 May 2018). "Fulham promoted to Premier League after play-off win over Aston Villa". The Observer. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Premier League table at close of 2018–19 season". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  22. ^ Woodcock, Ian (27 May 2019). "Aston Villa 2–1 Derby County". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
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