Villa bounce back from a goal down to beat 10-man West Brom

Aston Villa take a 2-1 lead into the second leg of the Championship play-off semi-final against West Bromwich Albion after a superb comeback at Villa Park.

Substitute Connor Hourihane’s wonder strike and a penalty from Tammy Abraham turned the game around in three minutes, before West Brom’s goalscorer, Dwight Gayle, was sent off for a foul on Jed Steer.

The home side were hoping to make their possession count early on, but a foul on playmaker Jack Grealiish from Stefan Johansen set the tone, as they looked to frustrate him. Chances came and went, with Glen Whelan firing over from just yards out after a quick corner caught West Brom cold.

The Baggies were a constant threat on the counter attack, though. A defensive mix up for Villa almost let them in before Steer made a brilliant save from Jay Rodriguez’s curling effort. Abraham was a peripheral figure for much of the first half, but he almost added to his 25 Championship goals with an acrobatic effort, which went just over the bar. At the other end, Whelan lost possession in midfield, allowing Gayle to steal in, drive forward and fire in his 24th of the season after 16 minutes.

James Shan’s side grew more confident after going ahead, keeping their shape and a frustrated Villa side at arm’s length. Grealish did wriggle free from their shackles to fire over, but they reached the break with the game under full control. Villa continued to press at the start of the second half, and they looked a little more threatening through Abraham. The on-loan Chelsea man, who will undoubtedly have some Premier League suitors in the summer, burst down the right-hand side and won a corner. Moments later, he headed wide from Anwar El Ghazi’s cross.

On 67 minutes, Dean Smith made a double change that completely changed the game, replacing Whelan and Albert Adomah with Hourihane and Andre Green. Just minutes after coming on, the latter equalised with a stunning effort from the edge of the box. The drama took another turn just three minutes later when Grealish was fouled by Kieran Gibbs. Abraham stepped up to give Villa the lead heading to The Hawthorns. Gayle’s red card means he may have played his final West Brom game, ahead of his loan from Newcastle United expiring next month.

Dwight Gayle's sending off. A contender for man of the match at half time, Gayle took his goal well and led West Brom’s counter-attacks well. But after picking up a yellow card early in the second half and narrowly escaping a second for a barge on Jack Grealish, the red mist descended on 88 minutes when he went in hard on Steer. It looked as though he could have pulled out, too.

Jack Grealish (Aston Villa): After dealing with a lot of frustration before the break, the introduction of Hourihane and Green in the second half unlocked him. The more he got on the ball, the greater Villa’s dominance became, and he helped bring Abraham, who dealt the crucial blow in the end, to impact the game more as it went on.

Aston Villa: Steer 6, Taylor 5, Mings 6, Tuanzebe 6, Elmohamedy 5, Whelan 5, El Ghazi 6, Grealish 8, McGinn 6, Adomah 6, Abraham 7 Substitutes: Hourihane 7, Green 5, Kodjia n/a.

West Brom: Johnstone 6, Bartley 5, Hegazi 5, Dawson 5, Gibbs 5, Johansen 5, Brunt 6, Holgate 5, Gayle 7, Rodriguez 6, Phillips 7.

16’ - GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 West Brom. After Abraham missed a golden opportunity, Gayle stole in and capitalised on a Glen Whelan error to run through and finish excellently from the edge of the box.

75’ - GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 West Brom. Substitute Hourihane rifles a shot into the top corner, giving Johnstone no chance. The goal completely changed the game; from then it looked like there would only be one winner.

78’ - RED CARD! Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom. Jack Grealish was brought down in the area by Kieran Gibbs, somewhat controversially, and Abraham finished well.

88’ - RED CARD! Already on a yellow, Gayle went in late on Steer, and received his marching orders.