Late Matty Cash strike sees Aston Villa beat Middlesbrough in FA Cup
Despite entering the contest as the Premier League’s third-placed side, Aston Villa knew an FA Cup win was far from a foregone conclusion following a run of seven consecutive third-round exits.
With the Villans desperate to end that barren spell, Jhon Durán threatened to give his side an early lead when he forced Tom Glover into a near-post save.
As a cagey first period moved past the half-hour mark, the Colombian striker opted to try his luck from distance, only to be denied by the Boro goalkeeper for the second time.
After spending the majority of the half camped outside their own box, the hosts finally offered their own threat through Morgan Rodgers, who fired straight at Emiliano Martínez from a narrow angle.
With neither side able to break the deadlock before HT, the Villans attempted to stamp their authority on the contest in the opening stages of the second half, as they went close from three corner kicks in quick succession.
First, the ball was worked to the edge of the box for John McGinn to draw a superb fingertip stop from Glover.
Defender Ezri Konsa then saw his near-post header strike the upright just moments before an unmarked Àlex Moreno blazed a fierce shot over the bar.
Having seen his side kept at bay for 70 minutes, Unai Emery turned to his bench in a bid to break Middlesbrough’s resistance, introducing Nicolò Zaniolo, Douglas Luiz, Moussa Diaby, and the club’s top scorer, Ollie Watkins.
Zaniolo went agonisingly close to marking his FA Cup debut with a goal when he sent a left-foot strike fizzing past Glover’s far post.
That near-miss was quickly forgotten as Matty Cash landed the decisive blow, sending a long-range strike into the bottom corner with the help of a wicked deflection.
While Villa can look forward to the fourth-round draw, Boro will have to quickly pick themselves up for an EFL Cup semi-final against Chelsea.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matty Cash (Aston Villa)