Dr Tom Wilkinson: I think Villa will be happy to take anything except conceding two (or more) back to Villa Park... unless we win 2-5 of course!

Mark Adamson: There would be some sort of poetry for me if Tony Pulis took Middlesbrough up at the expense of the two teams who got rid of him.

An animated Pulis has work to do to turn this semi-final tie around before his side can start thinking about Wembley and possible promotion...

Image source, PA

From the corner, which goes deep to the back post, Villa hit the side netting through Albert Adomah.

The home side need to settle things down a bit.

Villa goalscorer Mile Jedinak gets another header on target, this time from a deep free-kick, and Boro keeper Darren Randolph can only help it out for another corner.

It's all Villa at the moment. Jack Grealish wriggles free in the penalty area, but a deflection takes all the pace out of his low shot.

Matt Newsum
BBC Sport at the Riverside Stadium

Image source, Rex Features

The noise levels inside the Riverside have been metal-gig loud so far this evening but it was just a little pocket of 2,000 among the near capacity crowd that greeted Mile Jedinak's header.

Villa fans bounced in a mass of jumping limbs, serenading their heroes with a reworked 'Give It Up' by KC and the Sunshine Band.

Boro look shellshocked, their fans certainly are and it's the Brummies in full voice at the moment.

How can Tony Pulis' men respond to that opener from Aston Villa?

The visitors want a quick second, but Jack Grealish's shot is charged down and blocked on the edge of the penalty area.

The travelling Villa fans are over the moon. It's an ideal start for Steve Bruce's men.

And for Middlesbrough - to concede from a simple set piece - it's very disappointing. Nobody stuck close enough to Mile Jedinak.

Villa's Conor Hourihane gets the game's first booking, as the referee had spotted a raised arm as Hourihane jumped for a header with Boro's Muhamed Besic.

After a long throw is only half cleared by Villa, Boro's Muhamed Besic dips a shot at goal from range, but it flies wide.

I'd say the hosts are on top so far.

Villa head the resulting corner clear. It's not been particularly pretty stuff so far, but it's still early days.

George Friend and Stewart Downing combine well down Boro's left to win the hosts another corner.

Some poignant scenes before kick-off at the Riverside as former Middlesbrough goalkeeping coach Leo Percovich entered the field.

Percovich lost two daughters in a car accident in Brazil in December and has returned to Teesside today to thank Boro fans for their support since then.

Image source, PA

Boro's Ryan Shotton gives the ball away with a loose pass and Villa break forward, but Albert Adomah's cross from the left is headed clear.

As some of you may have already realised, this is Aston Villa's first ever game in the play-offs.

Middlesbrough force the first corner of the match down their right touchline.

The initial delivery is poor. Adama Traore gets another chance but it's straight down the throat of Villa keeper Sam Johnstone.

Image source, Rex Features

Straight away Villa's Conor Hourihane slides in with a crunching tackle, and gets a talking to.

Both sides look really up for this, as you'd expect.

The visitors Aston Villa get this game going. A place at Wembley is just 180 minutes away.

The players are out on the field at the Riverside, where the atmosphere sounds cracking.

Kick-off in this semi-final first leg is coming up next.

Image source, Getty Images

These two managers are of course both familiar faces when it comes to Premier League football.

But in the English Football League play-offs, their past experiences vary.

Steve Bruce has won promotion to the top flight four times in his managerial career, including play-off success with both Birmingham City (2001-02) and Hull City (2015-16).

Boro boss Tony Pulis, whose only previous play-off experience ended in a penalty shoot-out loss for his Gillingham side in 1999 in the third tier against Manchester City (whatever happened to them?), is looking for his second promotion up from the Championship.

Pulis took Stoke up to the top flight in 2008.