Dean Smith hails Aston Villa players after 'ground out' win

Albert Adomah and Tammy Abraham both scored in stoppage time as Villa won their sixth game on the spin, while ending Wednesday’s 11-match unbeaten run under Steve Bruce.

Visiting keeper Jed Steer had earlier saved Steven Fletcher’s penalty, after John McGinn had cancelled out Gary Hooper’s opener for the hosts.

Wednesday were the better team for long periods until being stung at the death.

Victory lifted Villa back up to fifth in the table as rivals Derby and Bristol City both dropped points and Smith admitted his team had not been at their best.

But he added: “Finding a way to win is important. Today was a grind but we ground out a win from nowhere, really.

“I thought it was a game of two halves. I thought we were the better team in the first half and started the game well.

“They scored on a counter attack and I thought we thoroughly deserved the equaliser. We were the team playing in their half of the pitch and I wanted more of that in the second half.

“But credit to Sheffield Wednesday, they put us on the back foot, put balls in the box and up to Fletcher.

“Jed has had to make a really good save from the penalty which gave us a bit of a boost.

“Had that gone in it would have been tough to come back with Wednesday having their tails up.

“But these lads have found a way to win at the moment. Kodjia missed a good chance when he came on.

“I probably should have made a change earlier because we were under the cosh. At the death the lads kept going and got their rewards.”

Villa’s win was made all the sweeter by late goals elsewhere which meant Derby had to settle for a 3-3 draw at Brentford, while Bristol City conceded a stoppage time equaliser to draw 2-2 at home with Bristol City.

The winning run has seen them climb from the bottom half of the table and into the top six.

Smith said: “They have been different wins, too. There have been some where we have been really comfortable, Derby and Boro when we blew them away.

“Whereas we went to Birmingham and had to tough it out, battle and scrap. We have done the same thing here today.

“I think anytime you score in the 92nd and 94th minutes it gives everyone a big boost.

“Hopefully there will be no complacency from this and they won’t feel invincible. But they will take an awful lot of confidence.”