Aston Villa need to avoid defeat against West Brom if they are to reach Wembley for the second season in a row.
TalkSport pundit Matt Murray praised the calmness of Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham who put away his penalty against West Brom like he was ‘in training’.
Dean Smith’s side beat their Midland rivals 2-1 on home soil to give them an advantage in their quest to reach the Premier League.
After going 1-0 down early in the first half, Villa netted two goals in the final 15 minutes, including Abraham scoring from the penalty spot after Jack Grealish was fouled by Kieran Gibbs.
The second leg of their play-off semi-final clash will take place next Tuesday night at The Hawthorns, where Jimmy Shan’s side require a win if they are to progress through to the final.
Speaking to TalkSport (11/05/2019), former Wolves goalkeeper Murray praised how calm Abraham was in such a big moment for his team.
“But Tammy Abraham, how calm is he?” Murray stated on TalkSport. “You got all the build-up and delay, but he puts the ball on the spot and just strokes it home like it’s in training. Sam Johnstone goes the wrong way. Fantastic [from Abraham].
“This is why young players get sent out on loan to experience these moments and to add value for them to get back to their parent clubs and be sold on.”
The win at Villa Park was a valuable three points for Smith’s side because they can afford to sit back against the Baggies on Tuesday.
But given Smith’s style of play and mindset, it won’t be a surprise to see him set-up to attack and win the game as Villa aim to end their three-year absence from the Premier League.
Last May, they were beaten in the play-off final to Fulham and the likes of Jack Grealish, Conor Hourihane, Albert Adomah and Ahmed Elmohamady, who played in that game, will be hoping to go one better this time around.
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