Again Villa are in the minority as they participate in one of just three English games requiring the teams to play on Monday after Saturday and the only team to have also played on the previous Thursday. Villa, in a strangely ineffectual, lose to 14th placed Manchester United meaning there will be no cup double this season. Villa now can look forward to a five day break between matches before they face relegation threated neighbours Birmingham at Villa Park.

Joe Mercer's Villa, having played five games in three months play their third in just five days as they are knocked out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford and have now lost two of their last four and failed to score in three of their last five having lost just two in their previous nineteen.