Aston Villa secured their return to the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Derby County in the Championship play-off final and they are already odds-on to stay up next season.

After defeat to Fulham in last year’s final, Villa made sure there was no repeat as they clinched victory over Midlands rivals Derby.

Villa boss Dean Smith – himself a Villa fan all his life – was delighted to be heading to the Premier League.

“I’m sat here having just won a Play-Off Final to become a Premier League manager. It’s a little bit surreal,” he said.

“But no more than these lads deserved and this football club deserved, too.”

And Bookmakers are already backing them to avoid the drop and they are 3/10 to avoid relegation.

Villa are 1500/1 to win the title, 150/1 for a Top 4 and 50/1 for a Top 6 finish, while the claret and blue outfit can be backed at 4/1 to end the 2019/20 campaign in the top half and bet365 have chalked up 5/2 about them being relegated.

bet365’s Steve Freeth “Four of the last five Championship Play-Off winners have gone straight back down, but we think Villa could be capable of bucking that trend.”