Middlesbrough 0-1 Aston Villa: Matty Cash emerges hero as Villans leave it late to advance to next stage
Aston Villa started this year from where they left off last year as they defeated Middlesbrough in a tough test on the road, as the Championship side which has enjoyed a topsy-turvy result in the league till now, almost led the game to a penalty shoot-out. Thanks to a Matty Cash winner Unai Emery’s men surpassed the stern test, thus qualifying for the next stage.
Aston Villa defeats Middlesbrough
Unai Emery’s brigade has been the talk of the town since last year, as they have turned head over heels this season in the Premier League. Aston Villa currently sit on the second spot in the English top flight, and has already etched their name among the history books as they have defeated Manchester City and Arsenal on the trot, thus setting an inexplicable milestone last year. They have practically turned their home stadium, the Villa Park into their fortress, with visiting teams facing the wrath of Villans at their home ground. Owing to the likes of Watkins, Douglas Luiz and the prolific keeper Emi Martinez coupled with the strict vigil of former Villareal and Arsenal man Unai Emery, Aston Villa has transformed themselves drastically from a relegation-battling team two years back to a Premier League title contender.
They were coming on the back of a heroic victory against Burnley at the last match day of 2023, with high hopes nested in them to proceed to the next stage of FA Cup, as Emery wringed in few changes for their clash against Boro. Jhon Duran started on the attack, followed by the seasoned troika of Bailey, McGinn and Ramsey. Defensive duties were shouldered by veterans Lenglet, Cash, Moreno and Konsa, as Kamara and Dendoncker completed the line-up with Martinez between the sticks.
As for Middlesbrough, former Manchester United legend Michael Carrick started 21-year old youngster Coburn as the sole striker, followed by Rogers, Jones and Greenwood.
Cash wins hearts and game
At Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough started with their defensive tactics playing perfect foil for Aston Villa. Boro stayed stout in the entire first half, which prompted Villa to switch their tactics and go all guns blazing utilizing their attacking sector and wings. After the mundane half-time score of 0-0, Emery decided to make some changes to the squad, bringing first team regulars like Zaniolo, Diaby and Watkins on the 70th minute, in order to increase the firepower on the attacking front.
But, little did anyone knew that Polish defender Matty Cash would make the difference in the score line, as his deflected shot assisted by Douglas Luiz would take his side into the next stage of FA Cup. Cash’s long-range banger was enough to see off the sturdy challenge presented by Boro, thus scoring the winner in a stylish fashion, which involved foxing opponent keeper Glover into netting the ball into bottom left corner.
