Aston Villa fans hail ’unbelievable’ after play-off victory against Derby

Add as preferred source on Google

John McGinn scored what turned out to be the crucial goal in the play-off win over Derby County on Monday – and some of the Aston Villa fans hailed him for the quality of his performance.

The Scottish midfielder helped his team beat their Midlands counterparts 2-1 at Wembley in the Championship play-off final, which means they have been promoted to the Premier League for next season.

Winger Anwar El Ghazi scored on the stroke of half-time for Villa and McGinn added a second shortly after the break.

Click to subscribe to the podcast

40:00

The 24-year-old got himself in the penalty area and managed to beat goalkeeper Kelly Roos to the ball to score a vital header in bizarre circumstances.

Derby did pull one back to mean a frantic finish was played out, but Dean Smith’s side held out during seven additional minutes to secure promotion.

A selection of Villa fans on social media picked out McGinn after his match-winning display.

They signed him from Scottish club Hibernian last summer and he’s played a major role in promotion this campaign

He’s a no-nonsense central midfielder that is the engine room with his work-rate and tenacity, while he’s useful going forward too.

Here are some Villa fans praising their star man McGinn: