Aston Villa on Saturday defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-1 in the first leg of the Championship's four-team playoffs for a place in the Premier League next season, with Egyptian duo Ahmed Elmohamady and Ahmed Hegazi both playnig. Dwight Gayle opened the scoring for West Bromwich 16 minutes from the start, with the team finishing the first half with a goal lead. Conor Hourihane netted the equaliser for Aston Villa in the 75th minute, four minutes before Tammy Abraham snatched the victory, in a 2-1 win for hosts Aston Villa. The teams will play again in the second leg on Tuesday to decide the team that will take part in the final game of the Championship four-team playoffs, for a place in the Premier League next season. Midfielder Elmohamady has been a regular starter for Aston Villa since joining them in June 2017. He has made 20 Championship appearances, netting two goals and making four assists. Defender Hegazi, who was chosen by West Bromwich Albion's supporters as the team's best player this season, made 40 appearances in all competitions this season, including 36 in the Championship. He scored one goal and provided two assists. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)