Aston Villa Promoted To Premier League After Play-Off Win Over Derby

By Max Wise

Aston Villa will play in the English Premier League for the first time since the 2015/2016 season after beating Derby County 2-1 in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley on Monday afternoon.

With the winner guaranteed a whooping £170m in prize money, the Championship play-off final has been labelled “ the richest game in the sport”.

One of the sub-plots of Monday’s Wembley encounter centred on which one of Chelsea legends Frank Lampard, who is the manager of Derby County, and John Terry, assistant manager at Aston Villa, will get their sides promoted to the Premier League but it was the former England captain who came out on top.

Aston Villa’s Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham had the fans on their feet when he struck a right footed shot just over the bar in the 33rd minute before Mason Mount responded for Derby by testing Jed Steer with a stinging shot which was comfortably saved in the 37th minute.

Villa took the lead on the cusp of half-time after Anwar El Ghazi headed Ahmed Elmohamady’s back-post cross into the corner of the net following a swift counter attack.

Back from recess, Aston Villa wasted no time at all by taking full control of the game when John McGinn headed in the second after El Ghazi’s deflected shot caused pandemonium in the Derby six-yard box in the 59th minute.

Substitute Jack Marriott gave Frank Lampard’s charges an invaluable lifeline with nine minutes to play when he halved the deficit by rolling in the ball beautifully following a pass by Jayden Bogle.