And here’s the daddy game of the season. Join Rob Smyth.
A most lucrative day for Fulham, a sad day for Villa. Here’s Paul MacInnes’ Wembley report.
More Steve Bruce:
The occasion maybe, it was a boiling hot day, we were totally disappointed with the first half. We have got five of the players out there on loan. We will dust ourselves down and have another tilt and see if we can go one better. We have three or four players out of contracts, over the next weeks we will get ourselves sorted. [On John Terry]: It’s a big decision for John, we’ll see how he feels.
Villa manager Steve Bruce not happy with Ryan Fredericks being allowed to stay on the field after his trampling on Jack Grealish.
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.
Fulham’s players do that running and diving thing, as they celebrate with those fans who stayed on at Wembley.
What next for Villa? They are a club with financial concerns, and it would be hugely surprising if John Terry hung on, perhaps even Steve Bruce or Jack Grealish. The latter looks too good a player to not be in the Premier League.
Robert Lowery emails in: “As a neutral, whose fellow Irish men give him a hard time, the apparently premeditated physical targeting by Fulham of Grealish should be irrelevant but it’s a reminder that there are more egregious sins against the beautiful” game than parking the bus. It’s agricultural nasty and , if they win, hopefully punished by a season of misery.”
It’s a fair point, he took a frightful caning.
Ryan Sessegnon, a young man of few words, has spoken.
I don’t think I can sum it up. It’s been fantastic, a fantastic season for the team. We made it very hard for them.
Goalscorer Tom Cairney speaks. He doesn’t seem too keen on Villa. Or Wolves. And reveals he has been suffering with a knee problem.
When we didn’t get promotion at the end of the season, a lot of people wrote us off and said we had to change the way we play. People gave us stick but football won today but football won today. It’s been a hard season. I have been playing all season not fully fit. I had to miss a lot of training sessions. The first half we played the football. In my eyes, we have been the best team in this league.
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Fulham get to lift the trophy, and the party starts. You don’t get a trophy for finishing second, but you do - eventually - for finishing third.
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Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic speaks
We gave everything. I am so tired, I cannot feel my legs. I am really proud like maybe never in my life. I had an amazing three or four months at Fulham. I want to enjoy the moment and then prepare for the World Cup - but I want to say thank you to everyone at Fulham. I am really proud I had the chance to play for this club.
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No longer time to roar for the Villa.
FT: #AVFC 0-1 #FFC...
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) May 26, 2018
The final whistle blows. We threw everything at it second half, but just couldn't find a way. A gut-wrenching end to a season where we've worked so hard and come so close. pic.twitter.com/1aTKKg2fQs
A distraught Jack Grealish being comforted by John Terry, who has sadness in his eyes.
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Ful Force wins the day
⚪️ WE'RE ON OUR WAY! WE'RE ON OUR WAY!
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) May 26, 2018
TO THE @premierleague...#FFC #FULFORCE pic.twitter.com/vmt6inWhyb
John Terry looks aghast. At least he doesn’t have to go to Chelsea.
Here’s your on-the-whistle match report.
Fulham are promoted to the Premier League!
Tom Cairney’s goal guides them up, and Craven Cottage will host Premier League football next season.
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90 mins+5: The last Villa attack? Yes, Kodija tries to do something, anything, but Fulham get it clear.
90 mins+3: Fulham gain territory and time after Oliver Norwood clears his lines. Mitrovic and Sessegnon try to hold it in the corner. Snodgrass hacks Sessegnon down, and that is about 30 seconds wasted.
90 mins+2: Another penalty claim for Villa. Grealish goes down as he collides with Targett. Nothing doing from Anthony Taylor.
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90 mins: Long cross from Odomah, and Hogan climbs highest of all. He fails to do so, a waste for Villa.
89 mins: Added time beckons and there will be five of them.
88 mins: Prince William’s shades cannot hide his agony. More pain for Villa as Snodgrass drifts the shot wide of the Fulham goal.
87 mins: Villa camped on the edge of the Fulham box and Grealish is fouled again, this time by Mitrovic. Free-kick chance for Villa.
86 mins: Those Villa subs have caused them to lose a bit of shape. Their own dominance seems a little distant now.
84 mins: Sliver of a chance for Hogan? No, offside. Relief for Fulham. Dr Tony Xia looks unhappy in the stands.
83 mins: Fulham are lagooned in the deep, their adventure of the first half a distant memory.
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82 mins: Final sub for Fulham - Fredericks is off for Christie. Fredericks should have been showered and changed by now, perhaps getting an early bite of the post-match pizza.
80 mins: Cyrus ‘The Virus” Christie due to come on in a minute for Fulham. Hourihane is limping off and is replaced by Scott Hogan, his Ireland team-mates.
79 mins: Norwood makes a fine tackle to deny Hourihane, who had the sniff of a scoring chance. Heroic stuff, and Hourihane came off worst.
77 mins: Two Villa subs: Elmohamady goes off for Kodija - a defender for a striker, then Jedinak is replaced by Josh Onamah - defensive midfielder for an attacking midfielder.
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76 mins: Fulham sub: Kamara for Kalas for Fulham. Kamara takes so long that he gets a booking for timewasting.
75 mins: This is getting very ragged. Villa having to take more risks, Fulham undermanned. And plenty of tackles flying in. Jedinak hacks right into Mitrovic and collects a yellow card.
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73 mins: It was almost 2-0 to Fulham! Mitrovic, gets a chance to turn and shoot on goal, but fires a bouncing ball high and wide.
72 mins: Villa fans in full voice, and should an equaliser come, then their team has that man advantage to lean on.
71 mins: Well, well, well. Fulham also lose Johansen, who limps off. Oliver Norwood replaces him. A rejig required.
Red card- Dennis Odoi (Fulham, 70)
A second yellow for a foul on Grealish. Even Anthony Taylor had to give that one. Almost hacked his knee cap off.
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68 mins: More lenient reffing! Kamara sped into the box, looked to have been fouled by Hutton and then a second challenge came in from Jedinak. That looked.
67 mins: Johansen had chance to kill it off for Fulham. It fell to his right foot, the one he usually stands on, and it slashes wide.
66 mins: Grealish can’t get enough purchase on a shot. Time ticking on a little now...
65 mins: And McDonald, being pulled to the ground by Hutton, heads wide. The refereeing has been...lenient, let’s say.
64 mins: Fulham have a corner as Chester blocks a Johansen shot.
62 mins: Grealish should have been sent off for a horrible tackle on Cairney. A yellow card instead. Frustration boiled over, and you have to think that referee Taylor was thinking of the Fredericks challenge in the first half. That’s evened things out.
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61 mins: Confusion in the Fulham area as Villa pile on more pressure. They have been excellent. A goal is surely coming. Grealish getting time and space.
59 mins: Villa getting closer! Jack Grealish with a weaving, winding run, with shades of Ricky rather than Aston Villa. Bettenelli makes a clawing save from a shot that took a deflection.
58 mins: Slavisa Jokanovic looking pensive on the sidelines, and so is Fulham owner Shahid Khan in the stands.
57 mins: Grealish plays Grabban into space and Grabban looks a bit tentative as he approaches goal. Dennis Odoi’s covering seemed to put him off.
55 mins: Mitrovic flashes a header wide. Terry nowhere. Hard not to agree with Sean Lally’s tweet: “Bruce needs to be brave and take Terry off. He’s adding nothing to Villa and is more a liability than an asset right now ....”
53 mins: Fulham’s resolve being sorely tested and they are playing on the counter. Sessegnon tried to put Kamara through but the pass was overhit.
52 mins: Odomah is the danger man, he puts Hourihane into space in an inside-left position, but the pass, presumably aimed at Grabban, skews wide. Or was it a shot? Doubtful he even knows.
51 mins: Villa a different proposition here. Powerful, forceful and dangerous.
50 mins: Odamah again down the left. Bettenelli flapped and got very lucky that the ball came off Grealish’s head and didn’t go into the goal.
49 mins: Terry gets closed down, as Johansen charges in. No rest for the wicked, and not those who face Fulham.
48 mins: Adomah down the left, and gets a cross in. Snodgrass fails to keep his header down.
47 mins: James Chester, again, had to clear the ball for Villa, as Fredericks got around the back. Terry has been something of a bystander.
46 mins: A change in Villa’s approach? Lewis Grabban charges down Bettenelli. Looks like the high press is the way forward. Jack Grealish is also marauding forward.
Second-half kicks off
45 minutes to agony, ecstasy and £170m. Or extra-time.
Bourgy tweets in: “Fulham are being praised for the type of performance that’s described as boring when it’s United. 60% possession, 2 shots on target, one goal.”
Seems Bourgy is happy with the way Manchester United play. Ok, mate. Takes all sorts but Fulham have tried to attack, played down the flanks and taken risks. Which is nothing like Manchester United under Mourinho.
Seems little doubt that the likes of Steve Bruce and John Terry will have had a word with referee Anthony Taylor at half-time. Jack Grealish has been targeted, and they were asking for protection all that half. If Taylor requires evidence, then the stud marks on Grealish’s legs should provide that.
There’s another game on tonight, you know. Somewhere in Europe. Rob Smyth has the details and is your guide through the build-up.
Half-time - Aston Villa 0-1 Fulham
Fulham fully deserving of their lead, which came via that crafted goal from Cairney. They should, though, have been a man down. Fredericks stood all over Grealish. Naughty, lucky boy.
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45 mins: Fulham seeking another before the break? Terry comes across and goes on an adventure, and has to since none of his colleagues are open for a pass. That gives Fulham fans a chance to boo him on extended play.
45 mins: There will be two minutes of added time and they are being used up by Stefan Johansen receiving some attention to what looks like a muscle injury.
43 mins: Meanwhile, Sessegnon also blazed a shot over. All Fulham now. Villa need half-time.
42 mins: Chester and Johnstone almost put Mitrovic clear on goal when seeming to forget that a striker might fancy being given the ball with an open net beckoning. They only just about pull themselves together.
40 mins: Mitrovic gets a chance, but his shot is blocked by a fine intervention from Chester. It has to be said that Terry is looking his age at the moment. He’s been sold a couple of times when Fulham have worked their chances, and especially for the goal.
38 mins: Snodgrass is inventive with the free-kick and Grealish is in place to have Villa’s best chance. He fires wide, agonisingly so for the Villa fans.
37 mins: First Fulham booking goes to Odoi, for a foul on Grealish, of course. Villa’s main man has taken a real buffeting. Jokanovic knew how to mix it as a player...
36 mins: How long Fulham can keep this up in 96F is the main question at the moment but the ball is doing their work for them, while Villa are chasing shadows.
35 mins: That Villa possession didn’t last long. Fulham playing some lovely stuff before Targett fails to live up to his name and wafts a shot wide.
33 mins: Harvey Maine tweets in. “If you going to play the overexaggerated temperature game, at least have the decency to put the F after the number. 90F is 32C, which is about what it is here in Frankfurt today.”
Fair enough, Harv. It was, though, 96 degrees F.
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32 mins: At last, some semblance of possession play from Villa. They need far more of that and Fulham’s defence is by no means impregnable. This time Ream clears the danger out.
31 mins: Almost another Fulham goal. Terry fails to get clean contact and Sessegnon stole in. Thankfully for JT, Sam Johnstone was alert to the danger.
30 mins: So, a bad goal to concede and a sense of injustice for Villa. The free-kick from Snodgrass is cleared by Odoi.
28 mins: That should have been a red card for Fredericks! Grealish fell to the floor, and Fredericks ran all over him, and there is little doubt that was deliberate.
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27 mins: Is it in Fulham’s nature to sit on a lead? No, but it would be only natural to start retreating at some point. At the moment, though.
26 mins: Villa looking a little shellshocked here, as do their fans. The club can barely afford a third season out of the Premier League.
24 mins: That was coming. Fulham have been excellent, and Villa hanging on a bit. Sessegnon had been quiet, but then showed that limitless talent. Cairney, not a bad player himself, was so cool when finishing that off. Terry, to be fair, was not beaten by Sessegnon, but was ball-watching when Cairney was in open space.
Goal! Aston Villa 0-1 Fulham (Cairney, 23)
Sessegnon drifts inside, skipping past Terry and Chester, and weighs a ball perfectly for Cairney, through on goal, to slot it.
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21 mins: James Chester has to clear hurriedly. Fulham are piling it on right now.
20 mins: First shot of the game? Kamara has a hopeful swing and it has Johnstone scrambling, yet just about looped on to the roof of the net.
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19 mins: Sessegnon gets his first real run, but Mile Jedinak comes across to clear the danger.
17 mins: Fulham’s determination to keep passing is a credit to them and keeping Villa’s midfield, full of power, running. That heat may sap them soon.
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16 mins: Grealish, at last, has a chance to run, but is chopped down by Tom Cairney. No booking, much to the annoyance of the victim and his manager.
15 mins: The on-pitch temperature has been measured at 90 degrees. Hot hot hot.
14 mins: Fulham keeper Bettinelli nearly got himself in a tangle in trying to play the ball out. The ball went to Snodgrass, who was leading Villa’s press.
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12 mins: Great skill from Mitrovic to control a long Ream pass, but Fulham can’t get Sessegnon away.
11 mins: Fulham having the better of this but it has been pretty scrappy.
10 mins: Steve Bruce a constant, and unmissable figure on the sidelines. His Villa team are yet to hit their stride with Grealish unable to make much of an impression.
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8 mins: First yellow card. James Chester is booked for that tackle on Mitrovic. Ref Anthony Taylor waited for Fulham to lose the ball and that took almost 90 seconds.
6 mins: Fulham attacking in serious numbers when they get the chance. They will not be sitting on it, as is often the way in these matches. Terry makes his first contribution, clearing his lines in adept style after Chester looked to have piled into Mitrovic.
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4 mins: Snodgrass, on the left, plays it out wide to Odomah, but Fulham manage to close down the danger.
3 mins: Fulham get their foot on it at last. Elmohamady came across to avert Fulham’s “out ball” to Sessegnon. Tim Ream touched the ball, I know this because the Fulham fans bark “Reeeaammm” whenever he does.
2 mins: Ahmed Elmohamady overcame a hamstring injury to play, and has to go up against Sessegnon. So far, neither team has really been able to complete a pass.
1 min: Hell of a racket at the national stadium. This is the point where fans try to kill the nerves by singing their hearts out. Has to be said that the “Villa, Villa” chant is winning.
Kick off
And Mitrovic gets it all underway for Fulham.
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Every member of the Villa team has played in a Wembley final, four have played in a play-off final. Meanwhile only Matt Targett, for Southampton and Stefan Johansen, for Norway, have played there before of Fulham’s team.
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Here’s the national anthem. Prince William is here to sing it, too, having had to sit out last week’s FA Cup final for one reason or another.
To show their ‘Ful Force”, Fulham fans have built a “White Wall” in their part of the ground. Plenty of waving flags up in the stands.
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The teams are in the tunnel, and making their way out past the trophy they will celebrate promotion with.
We cannot rule out extra time and penalties here. Difficult not to mention John Terry at this point, but I will leave it there. Last Monday made it ten years since Moscow.
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It goes without saying that Super John Terry was booed by Fulham fans and he went through his warm-up routine.
For Fulham celeb fans, there is Hugh Grant, who uses social media to tweet about press regulation and Pointless co-host Richard Osman, brother of Suede bassist Mat. Any others?
Wearing this little beauty to the play-offs today #ffc #COYW pic.twitter.com/CuIhyNqXTQ
— Richard Osman (@richardosman) May 26, 2018
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Run, JT run! Tom Hanks will be pulling for you. As will Prince William and David Cameron.
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Ryan Sessegnon and John Terry, here’s a fact for you. Two days after Sessegnon was born (on May 18 2000), JT was an unused sub as Chelsea won the FA Cup final, beating Villa. The winner was scored by Roberto di Matteo, after an error by David James. Remember that one? Hell of a flap from “Jameo”.
And the rugby union Premiership final is being looked after by John Ashdown.
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Plenty of other live stuff around as we await kick-off at Wembley, which looks to be filling up with fans. Catch England in collapse with Tim de Lisle here.
It’s a game of Fulham’s footballing style versus Villa’s far greater power, then. In that first play-off leg at Derby, which they lost 1-0, Fulham looked like they could be overpowered and it’s fair to say Villa have better players than Derby, with the added craft of Jack Grealish.
Fulham go for the same team that beat Derby so comfortably in the second leg of their semi.
Starting XI: Bettinelli, Fredericks, Odoi, Ream, Targett, McDonald, Cairney (c), Johansen, Kamara, Mitrovic, Sessegnon.
Subs: Button, Kalas, Christie, Norwood, Ayite, Piazon, Fonte.
For Villa, Ahmed Elmohamady has won his battle to be fit. And Steve Bruce sticks with the players who did a number on Middlesbrough in the semis.
Starting XI: Johnstone, Elmohamady, Chester, Terry, Hutton, Snodgrass, Jedinak, Hourihane, Adomah, Grealish, Grabban.
Subs: Bunn, Bree Whelan, Bjarnason, Onomah Hogan, Kodjia.
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And here are the teams
Team news: Our @SkyBetChamp #PlayOffFinal starting XI and subs.
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) May 26, 2018
Do us proud, lads!#ItsTimeToRoar #AVFC pic.twitter.com/Mq7GbSD9NQ
⚪️ Introducing #FFC’s #PlayOffFinal starting line-up! 💪#FULFORCE pic.twitter.com/2JvWZyryiI
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) May 26, 2018
Social media war has been declared
Aston Villa’s social team, one of the most active around, has gone for #ItsTimeToRoar.
Fulham have gone for #FULFORCE.
The first sounds like the type of thing John Terry might say in the pre-match huddle, and the other “Ful Force with Trevor Eve, Friday at 9, BBC1.”
And, a web search for Full Force brings up this gem. “ [Full Force] produced and wrote music for UTFO, Doctor Ice, Samantha Fox, Patti LaBelle, Jasmine Guy, The Force M.D.s, the R&B all-female group Ex Girlfriend, Britney Spears, James Brown, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, La Toya Jackson, and Selena,” it says here.
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Talking of Sessegnon and JT, here’s Jacob Steinberg on the Premier League hopefuls’ leading men.
And how about this from Richard Foster?
Some further reading on Villa from Stuart James.
Preamble
How big is this game? Well, put it this way: Liverpool stand to collect around 90 million euros from winning the Champions League while Wembley’s winner is guaranteed around £160m, and at least £280m if they stay in the Premier League next season. It all seems rather quaint to remember that the winners of 2006’s final, Watford, went home with £40m while Leeds United took the gate receipts of £1.3m.
It is not, of course, all about the money, but the play-off’s unique sliding doors status makes it the highest stakes game in English football, and perhaps a more engaging occasion than the FA Cup final has become. Does it make for a great game? Not for a while, in all truth. Those days of Swindon 4-3 Leicester in 1993, Bolton 4-3 Reading in 1995, and Charlton 4-4 Sunderland in 1998 (one of the greatest matches of all time) are so last century. It has become an occasion where nerves must be held, and a single goal separates the teams. Only Norwich’s 2-0 defeat of Middlesbrough two years bucks the trend since Brendan Rodgers set on the way to be known by his first name with a 4-2 Swansea defeat of Reading in 2011. (As an aside, Reading must hate the play-off final, having lost three of them, including last year’s, on pens to Huddersfield.)
What might all this mean? Ryan Sessegnon will definitely be playing Premier League football but will it be with Fulham? And will JT get to take two weekends off when Villa play Chelsea? Perhaps he can sit in Roman Abramovich’s box at Stamford Bridge, given that visa issues have seen it fall out of use in recent months.
And who will become the next billionaire to live the Premier League dream like Abramovich? Prospective Wembley landlord Shahid Khan with Fulham or Twitter sensation Dr Tony Xia with his Villans?
Kick-off: 5pm BST
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