2018 EFL Championship play-off Final

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 2015–16 season, and finishing the following season in 13th position.[6][7] Villa's last visit to Wembley ended in defeat a 4–0 defeat to Arsenal in the 2015 FA Cup Final. Fulham had failed to win seven consecutive play-off semi-final matches, most recently losing out to Reading in the 2017 play-offs. Qualification for the final marked Fulham's first visit to Wembley since their defeat against West Ham United in 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 poessession, 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 Bleacher Report, pitching an "experienced and pragmatic" Villa against a Fulham team "featuring ample young talent".[10] Villa's starting line-up had all played in a Wembley final before, and included 37-year-old former England international defender John Terry. Only two of the Fulham team had played at England's national stadium, 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 Anthony Taylor from the Cheshire Football Association, with assistant referees Gary Beswick and Dan Cook, and Kevin Friend acted as the fourth official.[13] It was widely reported that the game was worth at least £160 million over three years to the winners through sponsorship and television deals.[11][14][15][16] Before kick-off, both teams were introduced to former Fulham player Alan Mullery.[15] Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, an Aston Villa fan, was supporting from the stands.[11] Fulham were considered favourites to win the match,[9][15] which was broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and on ESPN+ in the United States.[10][17]

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]

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 Admoah 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]