West Bromwich Albion saw their Wembley dream grind to a halt on Tuesday evening when they suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat against Midlands rivals Aston Villa.

Villa arrived at the Hawthorns with a one-goal lead from the first leg, but Baggies defender Craig Dawson cancelled this out with a first-half header.

The hosts were then made to play out for a draw in extra time following the dismissal of Chris Brunt, but Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer delivered a strong shoot-out performance to end the Baggies' season.

Mason Holgate and Ahmed Hegazi were the two players who saw their penalties saved by Steer, and Hegazi has now issued his response to Albion's crushing defeat:

The defender praised the Hawthorns' crowd for the support by claiming they carried the team through the match, which would have especially been the case when Albion were reduced to ten men.

Hegazi played all 120 minutes for James Shan's side on Tuesday night, in what was the last of his 40 Championship appearances for the Baggies this campaign.

The Verdict

Hegazi delivered a solid defensive performance against Villa, especially after Brunt's dismissal when Villa were piling on the pressure.

It is unfortunate that he was one of the penalty takers responsible for West Brom crashing out of the play-offs, as this now overshadows his excellent performance throughout the match.

West Brom's failure to gain promotion may now lead to speculation surrounding the defender's future, but West Brom fans should be hoping he stays put at the Hawthorns.