Championship play-off final player ratings as Ryan Sessegnon gets an 8, John Terry a 6

Sport360 staff 22:36 26/05/2018
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  • Fulham will be in the Premier League next season after winning the promotion playoff.

    Fulham edged a nervy Championship playoff final, beating Aston Villa 1-0 to seal promotion to the Premier League.

    Ryan Sessegnon was the star again, producing a moment of brilliance to set up Tom Cairney for the only goal of the game.

    Here’s a look at how all the players fared at Wembley on Saturday.

    ASTON VILLA

    Sam Johnstone: Little he could do to stop Cairney’s opening goal after being left exposed by his defence, 6 (out of 10).

    Ahmed Elmohamady: Wariness of the threat posed by Sessegnon meant he rarely got forward, 5.

    James Chester: Booked early on for a challenge on Mitrovic, but thereafter defended soundly, 6.

    John Terry: Rarely confronted with the head-to-head battle on which he so regularly thrives, 6.

    Alan Hutton: Did not do enough to prevent Fulham’s threat on the right, and perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty with his challenge on Kamara, 5.

    Mile Jedinak: Lack of pace was often exposed when Fulham broke from midfield, 5.

    Conor Hourihane: Went close with a curling effort during a period of pressure early in the second half, 6.

    Albert Adomah: Struggled to get into the game when his pace should have been an asset, 6.

    Jack Grealish: Missed his team’s best chance of the first half, as well as two further promising ones in the second, 7.

    Robert Snodgrass: Unable to make the difference, despite possessing the talent, 6.

    Lewis Grabban: Consistently appeared isolated, and therefore did little to trouble Fulham’s defence, 5.

    Substitutes

    Jonathan Kodjia (for Elmohamady, 77mins): An attacking substitute who ultimately had little impact, 5.

    Josh Onomah (for Jedinak, 77mins): Provided pace but in the time he played, little else, 5.

    Scott Hogan (for Hourihane, 82mins): Did not get the goalscoring chance he required, 5.

    Jack Grealish and John Terry were unable to lead Aston Villa to promotion.

    Jack Grealish and John Terry were unable to lead Aston Villa to promotion.

    FULHAM

    Marcus Bettinelli: Produced a fine save to deny Grealish at 1-0 up in the second half. 8.

    Ryan Fredericks: Attacking threat often forced Grealish to defend and abandon his attacking instincts, 7.

    Tim Ream: A calm presence in a defence that was under consistent pressure throughout the second half, 7.

    Denis Odoi: Produced a potentially-crucial block from Grabban’s close-range shot but dismissal following a second yellow invited pressure, 5.

    Matt Targett: Unusually offered little going forward, largely because of Villa’s second-half response, 6.

    Kevin McDonald: Midfielder provided the discipline his team required as they sought to stretch Villa, 7.

    Stefan Johansen: Wasted a fine chance to put Fulham 2-0 up, settle their nerves and arrest Villa’s momentum, 6.

    Tom Cairney: His composed finish gave his team the lead they deserved and provided the platform for victory, 8.

    Aboubakar Kamara: Came close to scoring, at 0-0, with a promising chance he created for himself, and was unfortunate not to be rewarded with a goal, 6.

    Ryan Sessegnon: Again demonstrated his potential and vision with the superb through-ball that created Cairney’s opening goal, 8.

    Aleksandar Mitrovic: Did well to hold the ball up against an experienced defence, and drew the challenge from which Chester was booked, 7.

    Subs

    Oliver Norwood (for Johansen, 72mins): Brilliant, late challenge denied Hourihane from a dangerous position, 8.

    Tomas Kalas (for Kamara, 77mins): Brought on to defend and ensure Fulham retained their lead, 6.

    Cyrus Christie (for Fredericks, 83mins): Had too little time to make a significant impact, 5.

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