Mile Jedinak's 15th-minute header earned Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough in the first leg of their Championship playoff semi-final on Saturday evening.
The Australian midfielder leapt highest to send Jack Grealish's corner flying past Darren Randolph early on in the two-legged affair.
Boro had the better of the remaining chances, with Britt Assombalonga proving particularly wasteful with a few openings, but a Randolph save was needed to help Robert Snodgrass's shot onto the post.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's extensive updates below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Championship playoff semi-final first leg between Middlesbrough and Aston Villa at the Riverside Stadium. The home side are in good form heading into this end-of-season shootout, having lost just two of their last 14 matches to finish in fifth place, but Villa were the more consistent side over the duration of the campaign as they finished seven points better off than their opponents.
Derby County saw off promotion favourites Fulham 1-0 at Pride Park last night to take a step towards this month's Wembley final - will it be Boro or Villa, if either, who take an advantage to Villa Park for next week's return match? Plenty to get through between now and kickoff in an hour's time, so let us get straight into things by checking out some confirmed team news...
MIDDLESBROUGH TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Randolph; Shotton, Ayala, Gibson, Friend; Clayton; Traore, Howson; Besic, Downing; Assombalonga
SUBS: Bamford, Harrison, Konstantopoulos, Cranie, Fabio, Fry, Leadbitter
Boro boss Tony Pulis took the unusual step of announcing his starting lineup more than 24 hours ago, although opposite number Steve Bruce no doubt took little notice - mind games are certainly nothing new in a fixture of this calibre. As it is, Pulis has proved true to his word as the XI players named in the starting lineup are indeed the same ones who played out a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town six days ago.
That means no place in the side for Patrick Bamford, who has 13 goals to his name this term but has been unable to oust Britt Assombalonga for a starting spot in Boro's biggest game of the season. There is also news of a start for Stewart Downing; a player who made 63 league appearances for Villa between 2009 and 2011, scoring nine times. Muhamed Besic, Max Clayton, Jonny Howson and Adama Traore - also formerly of Villa - complete the midfield.
Pulis has also stuck with the same subs, with the likes of Fabio da Silva, Dael Fry and Grant Leadbitter joining the aforementioned Bamford in providing support from the bench. This is a strong-looking squad for the second tier - little wonder that the Smoggies were much-fancied to top the division before a ball was kicked. This may not be the way they planned it, but promotion is promotion.
ASTON VILLA TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Johnstone; Elmohamady, Chester, Terry, Hutton; Hourihane, Jedinak; Snodgrass, Grealish, Adomah; Grabban
SUBS: Bunn, Samba, Whelan, Bjarnason, Onomah, Hogan, Kodjia
Visiting boss Bruce, as expected, brings back a number of key men following the 1-0 loss to Millwall on the final day of the regular season. John Terry returns to the heart of defence alongside James Chester, while Jack Grealish, Lewis Grabban and Robert Snodgrass are also involved from the off. In goal, meanwhile, Sam Johnstone - impressive during his loan stint from Manchester United - replaces Mark Bunn.
Grabban has been another impressive loan capture by Bruce, having netted eight goals in 15 appearances since arriving midway through the campaign. That followed on from 12 in 18 during his spell with strugglers Sunderland, meaning that the Bournemouth striker could yet technically be relegated and promoted in the same campaign - that really would be quite something.
Bruce will put five men across midfield, either with two sitting deep or with Mile Jedinak in front of the back four. It is then down to former Boro man Albert Adomah, Robert Snodgrass and Jack Grealish to provide support for Grabban, who will likely be in the Premier League next season regardless of whether Villa are promoted. Six changes made by the Villans in all from their 1-0 loss to Millwall six days ago.
As planned, Tony Pulis sticks with the same XI that played out a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town on the final day of the regular Championship season. Some felt that the Welshman was playing mind-games when announcing earlier in the week that he intended to do exactly that, with Patrick Bamford potentially being brought in for Britt Assombalonga. In terms of the visitors, Steve Bruce makes six changes as he brings back his key men from the 1-0 loss to Millwall.
Boro may have finished seven points below Villa in the Championship table but that counts for very little in the playoffs - just ask Fulham, who had an even bigger margin over Derby County yet still lost 1-0 at Pride Park last night. Anything less than promotion for the Smoggies this term would be a major disappointment, although that is also the case for Villa who were themselves heavily-backed last summer.
Automatic promotion was the target for Boro following relegation from the Premier League last time out, aided by the appointment of highly-rated young manager Garry Monk. A rather poor first half to the campaign would cost Monk his job at the Riverside Stadium, however, and the best successor Pulis - a huge coup for the North-East outfit - could manage was a playoff spot. Job done!
Four wins from their opening 13 games had Monk publicly begging for his job, and he did go on to win three in a row in early October to turn things around slightly. The ex-Swansea City boss was living on borrowed time, however, and he was eventually sacked in December, albeit after beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in a huge match that also saw Carlos Carvalhal given the shove.
Pulis may have been a big coup for second-tier Boro, but many also had their reservations due to his favoured style of play. It must be said that, ultimately, Pulis has done a very good job in his five months with Boro, lifting them from a pack of middling clubs and into the playoffs. Even if the Smoggies do miss out on promotion this time around, the Welshman will surely stay on for another attempt.
Eleven wins from a possible 22 is Pulis's league record since taking over in December, and just two defeats have been suffered in the final couple of months of the season - all the typical hallmarks of a Pulis team are there to see. The Smoggies saw out their campaign with three successive victories and then a draw, with that final-day result at Ipswich Town proving to be very important.
Bamford's last-minute equaliser at Portman Road lifted Middlesbrough into fifth place, setting up this semi-final encounter against Villa and not Fulham. After last night's result at Pride Park, it is difficult to answer whether that is actually a good thing or a bad thing, but either way Boro will be confident of going all the way in this end-of-season shootout - as will the Villans, of course.
DID YOU KNOW? Boro successfully gained promotion from the second tier playoffs in 1987-88 when beating Chelsea in a two-legged final, but they were eliminated by Neil Warnock's Notts County in the 1990-91 edition. Pulis, meanwhile, has guided two teams to promotion in the Football League, finishing second with Gillingham in the fourth tier 22 years ago and taking Stoke City up to the Premier League a decade ago.
Pulis's only previous experience of the playoffs ended in disappointment, however, as his Gillingham side were defeated on penalties by Manchester City in the third-tier final in 1998-99. Moving back to the present day, Pulis's Boro have suffered just two defeats in their last 14 matches, which compares favourable to Villa's recent record - one win in five on the road, most recently going down 1-0 to Millwall.
Tony Pulis started the campaign at West Bromwich Albion but, after being sacked following a pretty terrible run of results throughout 2017, the Welshman arrived at Middlesbrough and has done a good job. The Smoggies finished fifth in the Championship table and are now just three games away from an immediate return to the Premier League.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! These two sides have already met three times this season, sharing a win apiece in the away fixture; Middlesbrough triumphing 2-0 at Villa Park in the EFL Cup third round, Aston Villa claiming a 1-0 victory here in the league at the end of 2017. The other league fixture, incidentally, finished in a goalless draw in September.
The home team has failed to win any of the past 11 encounters in this fixture, in fact, with the Villans the last to do so in March 2005. Villa have lost just one of their past eight away matches against Boro, winning four of the last five of those. All-in-all, then, it is looking good for an away victory in this intriguing Championship playoff semi-final first leg.
The target for Villa, much like their opponents, was to gain promotion by any means necessary. Fourth place is not quite what Bruce envisaged when winning seven matches in a row between the end of December and middle of February, culminating in a 2-0 triumph against local rivals Birmingham City. Five points were then dropped in their next two matches, however, at a time when Fulham and Cardiff City were racking up wins galore.
The Villans' automatic promotion hopes ended with a run that saw them lose 3-1 at home to Queens Park Rangers and 1-0 at Bolton Wanderers, before a goalless draw against Hull City. A draw and defeat away to Derby County and Millwall mattered for little in the end, as Fulham and Cardiff were always out of reach - the latter eventually going up automatically on the final day.
No side have been in better form than Boro over the past six matches, while Aston Villa are down in 10th place in that particular table. Bruce's men have performed pretty well on their travels overall this term, though, collecting 34 points from their 23 matches in a return bettered by only four other sides. Boro, for what it is worth, sit fourth in terms of the best home record, losing six of their 23 games here.
The team that has finished fourth in the Championship table, as Villa did this term, has earned promotion in two of the last four seasons - Queens Park Rangers in 2014 and Hull City in 2016 - as many as the previous 22 combined. Huddersfield Town in fifth place went up last time around, but not since 2001-02 and 2002-03 have teams finishing in that position gone up in back-to-back campaigns.
What has to be factored in heading into this match, of course, is that Steve Bruce is an expert at taking teams to the Premier League. Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock may have earned a record eighth promotion last weekend, but only three of those have been to the top flight. Bruce, on the other hand, has already taken a team up to the top tier on four occasions - twice with Hull City and twice with Birmingham City.
Furthermore, half of those promotions came via the playoffs - Birmingham in 2002 and Hull in 2016. Pulis is another experienced campaigner, and he also has experience of taking a team up to the Premier League, but nobody quite compares to Bruce when it comes to second-tier playoffs. Keeping the game tight this evening may well be the target for the former Manchester United defender.
With kickoff at the Riverside Stadium now less than five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Tony Pulis: "If you had given me a playoff position when I took over the football club, I wouldn't have cared who we were playing, so I can't be judgemental or care or worry about who it is. We have got Villa, who most probably have the strongest squad in the Championship and it will be a real tough game. They will be big favourites, I'm sure."
Steve Bruce: "I've been in this position before and been successful so the experience helps you. I think we've got the right experience - we've certainly picked players who can handle playing for Aston Villa and hopefully their experience will get us over the line and where we want to be. We've proved that we can go to Middlesbrough and get a result but it's going to be difficult because the four teams that are in it are big clubs."
Pulis simply happy to be competing in the playoffs, then, regardless of the opposition. The Welshman has won half of his 22 league games since replacing Garry Monk at the end of last year, doing enough to guide the Smoggies into fifth place. Bruce, meanwhile, is hopeful that his past experience of the second-tier playoffs - overwhelmingly positive - can help his side over the next few days.
KICKOFF! Tony Pulis was keen for home supporters to pack out the Riverside Stadium this evening, knowing just how big a part they can play, and he has got his wish - there does not appear to be a spare seat in the house.
Adama Traore gets forward down the flank but, not for the first time in his career, does not get his head up and is unable to pick out a teammate. Great atmosphere for what has the potential to be a memorable playoff semi-final.
Adomah with a cross into the box from the left, which Boro are able to head clear. Grabban then sent a low cross in from the opposite flank, but no visiting player was in the space that the Bournemouth loanee had vacated.
The match has not truly settled down at the moment, with seven minutes now on the clock. Still awaiting the first shot of any note, but there is certainly plenty of attacking intend at both ends of the field early on.
SHOT! Sam Johnstone is closed down by Britt Assombalonga and is forced to boot the ball high into the sands for a throw-in. Villa fail to truly clear the ball and Muhamed Besic put his foot through it from range, sending a dipper a yard or two over the bar.
Besic is proving to be a key player in the opening 11 minutes of this first leg, helping to break up play and also getting that shot away a few moments ago - the only effort at either end thus far. Boro just about edging things here.
YELLOW CARD! The first caution of the evening is shown to Conor Hourihane, who handled the ball in the air. Villa now just attempting to keep their foot on the ball and build some momentum following a pretty slow start.
GOAL! MIDDLESBROUGH 0-1 ASTON VILLA (MILE JEDINAK)
First blood Aston Villa in this playoff semi-final! From their first corner of the tie, Mile Jedinak got his head to the ball near the front post and guided it into the far corner of the net. Brilliant play from the Australian midfielder!
Boro fans not letting that goal get to them, instead urging their players on - they know that there is still a long, long way to go in this tie. Disappointingly, a long throw into the Villa box goes straight behind for a goal kick.
That goal was slightly against the run of play, as Villa had not really put together any serious attacking moves prior to the corner that led to Jedinak's controlled headed opener. The Villans clearly boosted by that goal and now going in search of a second.
SHOT! Jack Grealish, who sent in the corner for Jedinak to convert, is causing some problems now. The midfielder stayed on his feet in the box and got a pretty weak shot away, which was easily collected by Darren Randolph.
SAVE! Villa the side in control of the match now, looking to build on their one-goal advantage. Jedinak flicks on another header, this time from a central position, which Randolph could not keep hold of - another corner.
The visitors looking very dangerous from set-piece opportunities, with a deep delivery from the right being latched on to by Adomah, who could only smash the ball into the side-netting. The Smoggies struggling to get a foothold on the match.
Nearly a third of this first leg played and Boro have not really managed to get going. Villa have looked the brighter and have a goal to show for it, coming from a front-post Mile Jedinak header 15 minutes into the clash on Teesside.
John Terry has picked up a knock and is not looking too comfortable at the moment. A Boro corner is headed over his own crossbar by Alan Hutton, who was relieved to see it go out for a corner. The hosts starting to build some momentum now.
Three headed clearances from experienced Scottish defender Alan Hutton in the space of 90 seconds. The visitors now having to focus a little more on defending, although they are not exactly holding on at this point.
CHANCE! Britt Assombalonga with his first sight of goal, doing well to chest down Jonny Howson's ball over the top but then blasting his subsequent shot high and wide. James Chester caught out a little then by the Boro striker.
SHOT! Robert Snodgrass is able to climb higher than George Friend, but his header is over the crossbar. Britt Assombalonga once again gets between two defenders, only to shoot into the side-netting with his powerful angled drive.
Villa with seven attempts in all - two of which have been on target - compared to Middlesbrough's three. Bruce will be the happier of the two managers, but the Smoggies have certainly improved over the past five minutes or so and are now on top.
SAVE! Middlesbrough most definitely turning the screw now and they will argue that they should be on level terms. A third chance for Britt Assombalonga, who stooped down to head Adama Traore's cross right at Sam Johnstone.
Johnstone deserves some credit for that save a couple of minutes ago - he did well to read where Assombalonga was going to head the ball. Grealish goes on a 50-yard run which ends with his shot being blocked before it can reach Randolph's goal.
OFF THE POST! Some nice play from Villa on the edge of the opposition box culminates in Robert Snodgrass curling the ball on target. Darren Randolph got fingertips on the ball to help it against the post - great shot, even better save.
HALF TIME: MIDDLESBROUGH 0-1 ASTON VILLA
Sam Johnstone is rooted to his spot as Adama Traore's shot drifts agonisingly wide of the target. George Friend was then cautioned for jumping into Mile Jedinak, earning himself a yellow card from the final act of the first half.
First blood in the semi-final tie went Villa's way, as Mile Jedinak flicked a front-post header into the far corner after being given time and space to meet Jack Grealish's corner. The Villans took control of the match for the next 15 minutes, coming close to a second through attempts from Grealish and Jedinak, the latter having another header saved by Darren Randolph.
With 10 minutes of the first half to play momentum swung Boro's way, however, with Britt Assombalonga - preferred to 13-goal Patrick Bamford - wasting three decent opportunities. The striker twice got between two defenders, only for his left-foot finishes to end off target, before directing a close-range header right at Sam Johnstone.
Villa managed to hold firm and it was they who would have gone into the break with a two-goal lead if not for Randolph, who produced a stunning fingertip save to help Robert Snodgrass's curler on to the frame of the goal. Still plenty to play for in the second half on Teesside, then, and we may well see a change at the interval...
MIDDLESBROUGH SUBS: Bamford, Harrison, Konstantopoulos, Cranie, Fabio, Fry, Leadbitter
ASTON VILLA SUBS: Bunn, Samba, Whelan, Bjarnason, Onomah, Hogan, Kodjia
RESTART! We are back under way at the Riverside Stadium, where neither manager made any changes at the interval. Aston Villa are a goal to the good thanks to Mike Jedinak's well-taken header 15 minutes into the match.
Pulis will be desperate for his side to find some momentum again. The Smoggies had a 10-or-15-minute spell in the first half when they were on top, creating a few chances for Britt Assombalonga, none of which he could take.
YELLOW CARD! Ben Gibson goes right through Mile Jedinak and is rightly shown the game's third yellow card. Traore makes good inroads down the left but runs the ball straight out of play - such a talented but frustrating player.
Seven minutes into the second half and neither side managed to truly get a grip on the match. Boro have edged things without creating anything; the longer it stays this way the more chance there is of Pulis turning to his bench.
A decent near-post delivery is just about out of Ryan Shotton's reach, sparing the blushes of Sam Johnstone who did not look all that convincing when trying to collect. Nearly an hour played now - which manager will blink first and make a change?
Boro dominating possession but they are not really doing enough to trouble the Villa backline. The referee coming in for some criticism now for blowing his whistle while Traore was at full pace, instead awarding a free kick to the hosts.
Just not quite happening for Boro at the moment, as they continue to see plenty of the ball without fashioning any chances. The question for Pulis now is whether to bring on Bamford or stick with Assombalonga - or indeed use both up top.
A rare attack for Villa ends with Grabban's shot being blocked on the edge of the area. Boro with half a chance to counter but it comes to very little. A chance of the match becoming stretched on the basis of the last couple of minutes.
Daniel Ayala picked up a knee injury when attempting to tackle Jack Grealish and he looks in a fair bit of pain. Dael Fry may well be brought on for the remaining 30 minutes or so of the match - a blow for Pulis should that be the case.
Martin Cranie was another option to fill in at the back, but Daniel Ayala is going to try his best to play on for now - cannot see him lasting too long, in truth. The match has gone a little stale over the past five minutes or so.
MIDDLESBROUGH SUB! Here comes that inevitable Middlesbrough sub - Fabio is the man brought on in place of Daniel Ayala, meaning a slight reshuffle at the back. The Smoggies have had 65% of the ball in this second half.
CHANCE! The best opening of the second half so far, and it really should have led to more as far as Boro are concerned. Fabio, on the field for just a couple of minutes, was played in behind but failed to spot a teammate with his squared pass.
ASTON VILLA SUB! The visitors have showed very little attacking intent in this second half, being more concerned about containing their opponents. That could be about to change, however, as Jonathan Kodjia is on for Albert Adomah.
Pulis would no doubt take a 1-1 draw at this point, and that would not be a disastrous result for Villa, either. Very little sign of a goal at either end of the field in this second half, however - just one attempt apiece up until this point.
If things remain this way that first-half save from Darren Randolph could prove vital over the two legs. Boro will still fancy their chances heading to Villa Park even if they are a goal down; a second goal against makes things a whole lot more difficult.
YELLOW CARD! Robert Snodgrass, perhaps a little tired this late in the game, catches opposition full-back George Friend and is shown a yellow card. Another change for Boro - Patrick Bamford is on for Britt Assombalonga.
SAVE! This will technically go down as a save, as the ball bounced off Ben Gibson and had to be collected by Sam Johnstone. An interesting stat - Villa have conceded fewer goals in the final 15 minutes than any other Football League club.
The Smoggies now have Bamford up top but they have so far been unable to pick out the 13-goal striker. It has been a disappointing second half for the neutral, with very little in terms of goalmouth action. Still 10 minutes to go!
ASTON VILLA SUB! A second change made by visiting boss Bruce to help see things through, bringing on Birkir Bjarnason for Lewis Grabban. Can Middlesbrough create one final chance in the remaining eight minutes?
SAVE! Ryan Shotton heads a cross back across goal, where Fabio was waiting to meet it. The Brazilian full-back got a good connection on it and Sam Johnstone finally has a save of note to make in this second half.
Fabio has been Boro's most lively player this evening, despite only coming on 20 minutes ago. The Brazilian full-back again gets into a good position in the opposition box, and his blasted shot/cross had to be palmed to safety by Sam Johnstone.
We are now into the final two minutes of normal time at the end of this semi-final first leg. Villa having to hold on just a little, but Bruce will feel that his side will be good value for this slender one-goal lead if they can see things through.
ASTON VILLA SUB! Elmohamady has gone to ground clutching his hamstring, almost certainly ruling him out of the second leg in a few days' time. Glenn Whelan was about to come on for Jack Grealish, but he instead replaces Elmohamady.
Villa were 1-0 winners here in the league and they are looking good value to match that result today. Five minutes have been added on, though, so this one is not over just yet. Expect a Boro bombardment in the remaining minutes!
BLOCK! Fabio with another shot, which this time comes off a Villa player and goes behind for a corner kick. The corner is deep but is cleared away at the second attempt. John Terry is now down and in need of medical attention.
FULL TIME: MIDDLESBROUGH 0-1 ASTON VILLA
The full-time whistle sounds at the Riverside Stadium, where Aston Villa have held on for a 1-0 win. The Smoggies had the better of the remaining chances after Mile Jedinak's 15th-minute opener, but Darren Randolph did produce a huge save to keep out Robert Snodgrass's curler.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from Teesside. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction will be available elsewhere on the site in due course. Thanks for joining!
