After as rambunctious a play-off second leg as can possibly be imagined Derby claimed the right to face Aston Villa in the final on 27 May to try for promotion to the Premier League. It was end-to-end entertainment all night, a feast of incident, goals and excitement, and neither side – both reduced to 10 men – deserved to lose.
It never ceases to astonish how full-blooded and thrilling play-offs can be, when both sides must know the likely prize on offer, financial considerations aside, will be a season of toil and tribulation in the top flight. Dreams shattered, Leeds players hit the deck in the manner of Ajax a week ago as the final whistle sounded. They had been true to Marcelo Bielsa’s attacking traditions but let themselves down in defence on a couple of occasions. Frank Lampard now has a shot at the big time at the end of his first season as manager.
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VFpkRC
