Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa LIVE: Eagles blow Villa away to soar into FA Cup final
A place in the domestic showpiece is on the line in an intriguing clash at Wembley
Crystal Palace blew away Aston Villa at Wembley to give themselves a shot at lifting a first FA Cup trophy in their history.
After a slow start, Ebereche Eze fired in a stunner to bring the semi-final clash to life, just as he did in Palace’s last-eight tie at Craven Cottage.
Villa thought they had renewed hope when Jean-Philippe Mateta missed his penalty soon after the restart - but were quickly dealt a hammer blow when Ismaila Sarr doubled Palace’s lead from range.
Sarr put the icing on the cake in stoppage time as he slotted past Emi Martinez, sealing the Eagles’s place in only their third ever FA Cup final - now on the verge of a first major title.
Follow all of the latest from the FA Cup semi-final with our live blog below:
Line-ups CONFIRMED!
Crystal Palace XI: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Sarr, Eze; Mateta.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Kamara; Asensio, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins.
What is the early team news?
We’re expecting team news imminently - here’s what we know so far:
Ben Chilwell missed Crystal Palace’s midweek meeting with Arsenal due to illness, but could be back amongst things. Oliver Glasner rotated for that fixture with the semi-final in mind - Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr are among those who could return to the starting side, along with Chris Richards after his suspension.
Unai Emery is not thought to have any fresh injury concerns. A competitive fight for forward places could see Ollie Watkins preferred up front, while John McGinn should also make the starting side.
Oliver Glasner plays down importance of Aston Villa clash
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is treating today’s FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa like any other match.
The Eagles are one game away from only the third final in their 163-year history and the chance to win a first major trophy.
But Glasner insists a day out at Wembley will mean nothing unless they secure a place in the May showpiece.
"Of course playing a semi-final is always great and it shows how well we have done in the competition, until now," said Glasner.
"But it's just a semi-final. It's a huge game, at Wembley, and we are looking forward to it. But it's clear the goal is to win the game and get to the final.
"We'll enjoy it, it's the biggest stadium in England, it's very traditional and we can play in front of 40,000 Crystal Palace fans.
"But I don't care if we played at Selhurst Park or Villa Park, we would try to win. The approach is no different.
"It's a game. I don't want to make it bigger than it is. It's a football game and we feel well-prepared."
Unai Emery balancing twin pursuits as Aston Villa chase success
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says he is "choosing both competitions" as the club try to end the season with success in the Premier League and FA Cup.
Villa's pursuit for a return to the Champions League through a top-five finish in the Premier League takes a back seat as they head to Wembley to take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final.
Emery is trying to end a 29-year trophy drought, going back to the 1996 League Cup, but is not prioritising the cup over their league ambitions.
Asked whether winning a trophy is more important than Champions League qualification, the Spaniard said: "When you start the season you are trying to set objectives through four competitions, the Premier League, Champions League this year, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
"We are now still in two competitions, now we are focusing in each match in each competition trying to get our best, to be in Europe is one clear objective we have.
"The first way to get Europe is through the Premier League, but getting the trophy in the FA Cup.
"Now, we can't choose only one competition. We are choosing both competitions strongly because we have two ways for our positive season to end."
Unai Emery says FA Cup and Premier League both important for Aston Villa
Aston Villa's route to the semi-finals
Third round: Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham
Fourth round: Aston Villa 2-1 Tottenham
Fifth round: Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff
Quarter-finals: Preston North End 0-3 Aston Villa
Crystal Palace's route to the semi-finals
Third round: Crystal Palace 1-0 Stockport County
Fourth round: Doncaster Rovers 0-2 Crystal Palace
Fifth round: Crystal Palace 3-1 Millwall
Quarter-finals: Fulham 0-3 Crystal Palace
Last time these two met...
Crystal Palace boast a strong record against their opponents today this season, following up a 2-2 draw at Villa Park with a 4-1 tonking at Selhurst Park in February. A good omen?
Oliver Glasner: Palace playing Arsenal just before cup semi not the best choice
The Crystal Palace camp hasn’t necessarily been a happy one this week, with Oliver Glasner taking aim at his side’s schedule after they were forced to play Arsenal in the Premier League a day after Aston Villa had battled Manchester City. Could that fatigue show if things go deep later?
Oliver Glasner: Palace playing Arsenal just before cup semi not the best choice
The factors that will decide Marcus Rashford's future
Also in the mix today is Marcus Rashford - but where will the England international be next season? A return to Manchester United feels off the cards but nothing is decided yet, Miguel Delaney explains:
The factors that will decide Marcus Rashford’s future after Aston Villa loan
Ollie Watkins wants to start FA Cup semi-final after Unai Emery responds to ‘fuming’ claim
Decisions, decisions for Unai Emery today, the Aston Villa boss with a problem of plenty in forward areas with a number of attackers in form. Ollie Watkins definitely fancies a start, as Richard Jolly heard earlier this week
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments