Dean Smith delighted with result, but not Aston Villa performance after first-leg win

Second half goals from Conor Hourihane and Tammy Abraham earned Villa a 2-1 win after Dwight Gayle had opened the scoring for the Baggies.

Gayle was then sent-off in the closing stages to compound Albion’s misery and will miss Tuesday’s return leg at The Hawthorns.

But while it is Villa who have the advantage, Smith believes they can play a lot better.

He said: “I’m pleased that we won the game but not pleased with the performance.

“We can certainly perform a lot better than that.

“Albion came with a game-plan to sit behind the ball and slow the game down which they did very well and they capitalised on a mistake from us.

“Our movement and use of the ball wasn't good enough in the first half.

“We never created as many chances as we should have with the players we’ve got.

“Second half we were better and we kept our width better.

“We created more opportunities but it took a really good shot from Hourihane to get us back into it.”

After Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer had denied Jay Rodriguez with a brilliant save, Gayle opened the scoring when he pounced on an error by Glenn Whelan.

The hosts could then find no way through a resolute Baggies defence before Hourihane, who replaced Whelan off the bench, fired them level from 20 yards out.

Abraham then completed the turnaround when he sent Sam Johnstone the wrong way from the spot, after Kieran Gibbs had brought down Jack Grealish.

Albion might have had a penalty themselves when Abraham appeared to bundle Mason Holgate over in the box.

But the Baggies afternoon got worse when Gayle, who had earlier been booked for time-wasting, caught Steer on the follow through when trying to reach a James Morrison cross and was shown a second yellow card.

Villa could not add a third despite dominating the closing stages.

Smith said: “It was probably one of my frustrations from the lads in the end.

“They had gone down to ten men and I felt there was an opportunity to get another.

“We’ve had the ball in and around their final third for most of the game but we just didn’t show enough guile on the ball.

“A few of the players will hold their hands up and say it wasn’t their best games.

“But the good thing about this squad of players is that they keep finding a way to win and there’s also better performances in their lockers as well.”

On Whelan’s mistake, he said: “Glenn is an international player who has played a lot in the Premier League.

“Mistakes happen in games and unfortunately they capitalised on the mistake.

“He didn’t shy away from the ball and tried to make things happen. So it was just one of those things.”