Stevenage from division 2 staged a stunning comeback in the final minutes and shocked Aston Villa at Villa Park. They qualify for FA cup Quarter finals.
They scored twice in the final two minutes to seal a remarkable victory. The visiting team and manager Steve Evans celebrated with their fans at full time.
Dean Campbell scored a dramatic 90th-minute winner after Dendoncker, the last man on the pitch, brought him down.
By halftime,Morgan Sanson’s goal gave Unai Emery’s Villa team led a team 59 places lower in the football pyramid
Despite being the better team, the home team was ultimately defeated after a stunning comeback effort.
Fourth tier Stevenage will travel to face Championship club Stoke City from January 27-30.
Breakdown at Villa as Stevenage springs a major surprise
Aston Villa’s situation looked simple throughout the first 84 minutes of the game.
Their worst ever FA Cup losing streak is eight games, and they lost hope when Dendoncker seized Campbell’s jersey.
It looked like referee Graham Scott was about to give a free kick, instead he pulled out a red card. Then he pointed to the spot, prompting a VAR review that ultimately upheld the penalty.
Reid held his composure to mislead Robin Olsen and set up a replay, which was impressive enough.
Jake Reeves directed his corner to Campbell, who hammered a strike into the bottom corner, sending away fans into raptures. Campbell is 21 years old and is from Scotland.
Since their 2015 FA Cup victory, Villa has made it through only one round. As for Stevenage, they are the first team from the fourth tier in four years to win an away FA Cup match against a Premier League club.
Poor play of Villa Forced to Pay
Emery, a manager with extensive experience in cup games who has won the Europa League four times, made his ambitions apparent this week by saying his team would be preparing for this match with the goal of “winning the FA Cup.”
Among eight changes from Villa’s Premier League tie with Wolves last week, Brazilian Philippe Coutinho began five years after he moved to Barcelona from Liverpool for £142 million in January 2018.
Douglas Luiz’s long-range shot was the sole test for goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond before Stevenage provided their first warning, but the hosts dominated from the off, finishing with an average of 78.6 percent possession.
Danny Rose nearly scored an unexpected opening goal for the visitors after a superb pass from Luke Norris.
Ings set up Frenchman Sanson for Villa’s opening goal after a beautiful passing move, but Stevenage stayed strong and almost pulled off a remarkable equalizer when Norris’s brilliant curling shot just missed the top of the crossbar.
They remained resolute in defense as Villa stepped up their offensive efforts after halftime.
Coutinho, maybe overly eager to make a good impression in his debut start under Emery, was taken off the field after 65 minutes despite leading the contest with five shots and one on target.
Little in the match’s buildup suggested it would end the way it did. Even with only two shots on goal, Stevenage managed to score. Three thousand out-of-town fans saw history being made, and they will never forget what they saw.
About Author
