Aston Villa end goal drought to knock Bournemouth out of FA Cup
Aston Villa 2 - 1 Bournemouth
Carles Gil 51
Andreas Weimann 71Callum Wilson 90 +2:34
Before the events of a seismic Saturday on which Chelsea and Manchester City were knocked out this tie had appeared the favourite for an FA Cup upset.
The narrative said that a struggling Aston Villa, with only seven league goals all season on their own ground, could well be turned over by Eddie Howe’s slick and quick Bournemouth, who had scored 57 in the Championship to lead the division by a point from Middlesbrough, the surprise winners at the Etihad.
Yet there was to be no embarrassment for Villa as they cruised into the fifth round thanks to Carles Gil. The 22-year-old Spaniard was the catalyst on his full debut with a delightful 50th-minute goal, beating Lee Camp from 20 yards.
By the time Gil was substituted minutes from the end he had earned the ovation he received from Villa fans who surely departed hoping better times are round the corner after watching their side finish with a swagger markedly missing so far this season.
There was a late wobble when Callum Wilson pulled a goal back for the Cherries in added time but Ashley Westwood signalled Villa’s firm intent not to be denied by racing upfield and nearly adding a third for his team.
Lack of self-belief had been the dominant theme at Villa Park and understandably so for a side who had not enjoyed a league win since 7 December and had scored only once in their last six games.
Now, though, after the team had scored two goals in a match for only the third time this season Paul Lambert could say: “There’s always been great belief here, I don’t fret over anything as I know the type of lads I’ve got in the team. I know they can score and I know they can do it. They’ve had a hard time, been criticised a lot but they deserve a lot of credit for the way they played today.”
The manager stated beforehand that a Cup run would “really generate some momentum in terms of achieving some good results in the second half of the season” and then made six changes from the side that had lost 2-0 at Liverpool.
Two of these were enforced. Fabian Delph, who has just signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal with the club, had an achilles problem and Gabriel Agbonlahor a hamstring injury, though Lambert said he hoped both would be available for Sunday’s trip to Arsenal.
Howe made nine changes to his XI, which was indicative that he had the more pressing priority of gaining promotion to the Premier League to consider and also that the manager fancied any team he fielded might defeat Villa.
In the opening half Howe was vindicated in the way Bournemouth pinged the ball around, playing the more attractive football and threatening Shay Given’s goal far more that Camp’s came under fire.
Given saved smartly when Eunan O’Kane shot from 20 yards, the goalkeeper turning the ball away for a corner. Earlier Given was rounded expertly by Shaun MacDonald, after Harry Arter had played him in, but he could not finish.
As the interval neared Villa began to supply Christian Benteke with some enticing deliveries but the centre-forward was failing to make his presence felt and when Kieran Richardson swept in an inviting ball from the left the Belgian did not even make a challenge.
However, it was Benteke who sprang into life first at the start of the second half. After a surging run that had Bournemouth backpedalling, however, the striker overelaborated and, when Gil took over, he could find only the side-netting.
Gil, though, was about to spread joy – and relief – to his team-mates and home support with his fine opening goal. Moved from a No10 berth to wide right he collected the ball, cut inside and beat Camp with a sweetly struck left-foot finish along a diagonal trajectory for his first Villa goal.
On the hour Howe attempted to stem what had become a claret-and-blue tide by making a double switch. On came Simon Francis for the veteran left-back Ian Harte and Bournemouth’s top-scorer Wilson for Yann Kermorgant, who had failed to make an impression.
Francis made an immediate one, sending in an enticing cross from the right that forced Ciaran Clark to head out for a Bournemouth corner.
Ten minutes later, though, Andreas Weimann calmly notched his fourth goal of the season to give Villa what proved an unassailable lead.
Now Howe can focus purely on Bournemouth’s promotion bid. He said: “The game gives the players that taste of playing a side in the Premier League. For the development individually of the players this will do them the world of good. It is back to the day job. We have Watford next week and some big games coming up.”
Man of the match Carles Gil (Aston Villa)
Guardian
