FA Cup news: Aston Villa beat Preston North End to seal trip to Wembley
After comprehensively beating hosts Preston North End 3-0 in the FA Cup on Sunday, Aston Villa will play fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace in the semi-finals at Wembley.
In what was a clinical display, Unai Emery’s side dispatched their hosts with ease thanks to goals from on-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Jacob Ramsey.
For Preston, a fairytale run comes to an end, with attention now turning to next season as their mid-table position in the Championship leaves them with little to play for between now and May.
Sports News Blitz writer Harrison Pearce reports on the game and examines what it means for Villa going forward.
Villa overcome hosts to grab semi-final spot
Villa were delighted when the final whistle sounded at Deepdale Stadium as the victory meant a trip to Wembley to face Premier League rivals Crystal Palace.
They got the luck of the quarter-final draw in pairing up with Championship side Preston, but Emery ensured that his charges did not underestimate their hosts’ capabilities.
Even though Villa did not have any clear-cut chances in the first half, they dominated possession and it was only a matter of time before the deadlock would be broken.
It eventually came through the influence of Rashford, who scored his first goal in a claret and blue shirt to end a 14-game drought.
Elsewhere, Ramsey was a contender for Man of the Match as he ably controlled everything and topped off a great performance with the third goal.
In the end, Villa’s squad depth proved too much and a date at Wembley now awaits.
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Emery’s striker conundrum
Rashford has now finally scored for Villa after his double against Preston.
A lot had been said about the Englishman not scoring in nine games before the quarter-final, although he did provide four assists in that time, but he answered the criticism in style.
Fellow striker Ollie Watkins has not been at his best this season either, certainly not in comparison to last season, scoring a solid 14 goals and providing 12 assists. Moreover, his shot conversion rate of 16% is lower than last term’s 21%.
On paper, that record is not half-bad, but the fans know he is capable of more.
Having missed a few big opportunities in recent games as he comes back from injury, Watkins might find himself replaced by Rashford for the next few games.
Emery likes to change his starting line-up depending on the opposition, so it will be interesting to see how he utilises Rashford come the semi-final.
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How Villa can beat Crystal Palace
In recent years, Villa have regularly come unstuck when facing Crystal Palace, with three losses and a draw in their last five games.
This season saw a demoralising 4-1 loss in London for Emery and co. as Palace pressed their way to an impressive victory.
Conceding through defensive errors when faced with an aggressive press is something of a recurring theme for Villa this season.
However, to be fair, it must be hard to find a rhythm when the defence is always changing due to injury problems.
If the team can stay fit for the remainder of the season, it would greatly help Emery get the best out of the squad.
Palace, on the other hand, have three standout players in Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Adam Warton.
They have built a great partnership with each other and execute Oliver Glasner’s system to perfection.
For Villa, the key will be to stop Eze at all costs, because he is undoubtedly the heart of the South London team.
After Michael Olise joined Bayern Munich in the summer, there is more reliance on Eze to produce than ever before, and every attack goes through the left winger.
If the Villa defence can mark Eze out of the game, then that takes away Palace’s main attacking threat and places all the pressure on Mateta, giving Emery something to work with.
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Season of underdog trophy winners so far
The last time Aston Villa went to Wembley, they lost the 2020 Carabao Cup final 2-1 to a Sergio Aguero–inspired Manchester City.
This time, the road to the final has been somewhat easier, with the traditional top six teams mostly falling by the wayside.
Before dreaming about getting revenge in the final, though, Villa will participate in their fourth FA Cup semi-final since the turn of the century.
And with underdogs Newcastle United already winning this year’s Carabao Cup against Premier League leaders Liverpool, the stage is set for Villa to do the same in the FA Cup, where giants City await any pretenders to the trophy.
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