Friday night’s task: beat Cardiff City and Aston Villa would be one game from Wembley.
Granted, that would be a semi-final, yet the equation was simple and favourable. Cardiff are languishing at the bottom of the Championship and have the more pressing matter of survival to deal with.
The Welsh side travelled to Birmingham as rank outsiders and even against Champions League-calibre opposition, had one eye on potentially season-defining fixtures against Burnley, Sunderland and Luton Town, all within a week.
Villa had received a kind draw in the fifth round of the FA Cup, emboldened by the teams that had already fallen by the wayside. Arsenal are out. Liverpool are out. Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur too. For a club that believes they are in a special era under Unai Emery and with owners who regard their manager as akin to Sir Alex Ferguson in wanting longevity and to build a dynasty, some first major silverware in 29 years felt closer.
Emery declared his “next dream” is to win a trophy with Villa back in October. A day later, they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Crystal Palace, having picked a slightly weakened starting XI and, critically, an overtly youthful substitutes bench. When Villa trailed 2-1, Emery turned to three academy graduates in Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba, Kadan Young, both 18 at the time, and a 20-year-old Lamare Bogarde. It seemed jarring that the only senior attacking option on the bench — 23-year-old Jacob Ramsey — remained on the sidelines.
Villa have some of the best attacking resources of any side left in the competition (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Supporters were stuck in knowing how to feel in the aftermath. Some disappointed, others reflective, a group not fussed and pointing towards another top-four finish. Many are reluctant to criticise these players or coaches, with admiration for Emery reaching mythologised levels, to the point where he is seen as a walking, talking deity.
Villa’s transformation under Emery remains extraordinary, despite a 22 per cent dip in win rate in the Premier League since the greatest week of his management in December 2023, beating Manchester City and Arsenal in the space of four days.
Expectations have heightened and it would be a profound shame if this period, when all is said and done, was not rubber-stamped by some silverware and etched in folklore in the same way the heroes of the 1982 Champions League are.
“What is a fact is that Aston Villa FC can compete today at some stages that were not familiar to the club in the last years,” said Emery in his programme notes.
Quite frankly, Villa have been hopeless in the FA Cup for generations. This was the first time they had reached the fifth round of the competition since the 2014-15 season. Between 2016 to 2024, Villa did not even make the fourth round. Of the seven clubs who have won the competition seven or more times, Villa are the only side not to do so since the moon landings.
Although recent history has been unkind and awash with humiliating defeats — Emery’s first FA Cup match was a 2-1 defeat at home to Stevenage — the tie against Cardiff invited a contrasting outlook. In a stumbling domestic campaign that may not result in Champions League participation next season, this sort of FA Cup tie at this stage of the competition does not come around too often.
Fundamentally, days out at Wembley and winning trophies are what a football club plays for. Supporters enjoy top-four finishes and some are enthused to learn about growing revenue but ultimately, no one goes to sleep hoping to dream about either.
Villa have won the FA Cup seven times, but not since 1957 (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Both Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio started the match, forming half of a pacy attack quartet that also included Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins. Ramsey and Morgan Rogers provided power off the bench. Even depleted by defensive injuries, Villa’s attacking riches have rarely been so plentiful or accomplished.
Asensio’s class was obvious. He scored another brace in the 2-0 victory, taking his total to four goals in two starts — all assisted by Rashford — with his second on the night encapsulating what can separate him from team-mates. He controlled a low cross under a circle of pressure, steadied himself, looked up and whipped an effort low towards the bottom right corner. While others skewed and skied efforts, Asensio’s grace sat above Villa’s wider toils for the 68 minutes that elapsed before they took the lead.
Emery applauded, although far less fervently than in recent celebrations. He wore the look of relief, having been screaming “Calm!” not very calmly moments before.
Cardiff’s switch from their customary back four to a back five frustrated Villa, who often appeared one-paced, wasteful in front of goal and with supporters gradually becoming more exasperated. Attacking a low block has long been the team’s kryptonite but Asensio’s spacial intelligence provides a point of difference.
The 29-year-old takes up clever positions in the box, times his runs and, with Villa missing key chances in the first half, is precise in his shooting. A player of his pedigree and three Champions League titles does not come to a side like Villa just to finish 10th in the Premier League and to crash out of cup competitions.
“We are not considered favourites to win this trophy. We are contenders but not favourites,” said Emery. “There are some teams favourites more than us. Manchester United, Newcastle and Manchester City and other teams. But we know this competition is a way to Wembley, a trophy and Europa League and prestige for the club.”
While cash is king and the FA Cup does not bring the same riches as finishing in a Champions League spot, Villa are the first team in the quarter-finals and the path to Wembley — and possibly glory — is becoming ever clearer. This is surely the moment for Emery’s side to seize their opportunity in a competition they last won in 1957.
(Header photo: Marc Atkins – AVFC/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
