Game #5069
Sunday, 7 March 2010
Attendance: 23,175
Won
FA Cup Quarter Final
Quarter Final
Reading
Last 5: 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩
Madejski Stadium
Villa launch a thrilling comeback as a League Cup hangover threatens to derail their FA Cup journey,
Reading
2-4
Aston Villa
Assist(s) | Carlos Cuéllar | 47’ | Stewart Downing | 51’ | Stephen Warnock | 57’ |
KEY MAN
John Carew celebrates his second on the way to his hat-trick as Villa see off Reading in the FA Cup Quarter Final with a second half onslaught, Sunday, 7 March 2010.
PREVIOUS MATCH
NEXT MATCH
MATCH TIMELINE
🟨 | 25’ Booking, Richard Dunne
⚽ | 27’ Goal, 0-1, (Reading), Shane Long
🟨 | 40’ Booking, Ashley Young
⚽ | 42’ Goal, 0-2, (Reading), Shane Long
🕒 | HT Reading 2-0 Aston Villa
⚽ | 47’ Goal, 1-2, Ashley Young, Assist by Carlos Cuéllar
🟨 | 48’ Booking, James Collins
⚽ | 51’ Goal, 2-2, John Carew, Assist by Stewart Downing
⚽ | 57’ Goal, 3-2, John Carew, Assist by Stephen Warnock
🟨 | 84’ Booking, James Milner
🔁 | 90’+1 Sub off, Stewart Downing, Sub on, Steve Sidwell
⚽ | 90’+3 Goal, 4-2, John Carew (pen)
🕒 | FT Reading 2-4 Aston Villa
ON THIS DAY
John Carew's hat-trick secured a swift return to Wembley and meant Villa had just one defeat in fourteen games since the turn of the year.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1995-96
Reading
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
League Champions: ❌
FA Cup Winners: ❌
League Cup Winners: ❌
Last Trophy: ❌
FIXTURE HISTORY
Reading
Previous 5 vs. Reading: 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟩
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 2009-10 |
Matchday | #39 |
Manager Game | #177 |
Sunday, 7 March 2010
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Martin O’Neill | 🇬🇧 | County Londonderry, 2006-2010
Referee: Mike Dean | 🏴 | Wirral, 1997-2022
Kick off: 1.45pm
HT Score: 🟥 0-2
FT Score: 🟩 4-2
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Mike Dean | 🏴 | Wirral, 1997-2022
Previous 5: 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟨
Last Match: 🟨 5 Oct 09, Villa 1-1 Abu Dhabi (h)
Cards: 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨
Assistants: Simon Beck, Dave Bryan
CARDS
TEAM NEWS
John Carew replaces Gabriel Agbonlahor.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age
| 29.14 |
Oldest Player |
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 | 38.83 |
Youngest Player |
W James Milner | 🏴 | 24.19 |
MANAGER
MANAGER
Martin O'Neill | 🇬🇧 |
Brian McDermott | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Brad Friedel | 🇺🇸 |
LB Stephen Warnock | 🏴 | 🔥 |
CB Carlos Cuéllar | 🇪🇸 | 🔥 |
CB James Collins | 🏴 | 🟨 |
CB Richard Dunne | 🇮🇪 | 🟨 |
M Stiliyan Petrov | 🇧🇬 |
W Ashley Young | 🏴 | 🟨 | ⚽ |
W Stewart Downing | 🏴 | 🔥 | 🔁 |
W James Milner | 🏴 | 🟨 |
CF Emile Heskey | 🏴 |
CF John Carew | 🇳🇴 | ⚽ | ⚽ | ⚽ |
Reading
GK Adam Federici | 🇦🇺 |
LB Ryan Bertrand | 🏴 |
CB Matt Mills | 🏴 |
CB Ívar Ingimarsson | 🇮🇸 |
RB Andy Griffin | 🏴 |
M Jay Tabb | 🇮🇪 | 🟨 |
M Gylfi Sigurðsson | 🇮🇸 | 🟨 |
M Brian Howard | 🏴 | 🔁 |
W Jimmy Kébé | 🇲🇱 |
CF Shane Long | 🇮🇪 | ⚽ | ⚽ |
CF Simon Church | 🏴 | 🔁 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 M Steve Sidwell | 🏴 | for W Stewart Downing | 🏴 | 90’+1 |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | M Brian Howard | 🏴 | (M Brynjar Gunnarsson | 🇮🇸 |)
🔁 | CF Simon Church | 🏴 | (CF Grzegorz Rasiak | 🇵🇱 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Brad Guzan | 🇺🇸 |
RB Luke Young | 🏴 |
RB Habib Bèye | 🇸🇳 |
M Fabian Delph | 🏴 |
W Marc Albrighton | 🏴 |
F Nathan Delfouneso | 🏴 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Ben Hamer | 🏴 |
CB Alex Pearce | 🇮🇪 |
M James Henry | 🏴 |
M Marek Matějovský | 🇨🇿 |
CF Hal Robson-Kanu | 🏴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 6/11
Homegrown: 0/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 11/18
Homegrown: 2/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 5/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/18
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Injury | 2 |
M Nigel Reo-Coker | 🏴 |
F Gabriel Agbonlahor | 🏴 |
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Possession F | 52%
Possession A | 48%
Shots F | 10
Shots A | 14
Shots on Target F | 6
Shots on Target A | 9
Corners F | 6
Corners A | 11
Fouls F | 8
Fouls A | 12
TABLE
PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
“It was a great spell by us just after half-time. The team showed such great character.
“We needed to do something because we had played so meekly in the first half.
“I didn’t need to say much at half-time because we have some fine players and they knew how second best we were in the first half.”
Martin O’Neill.
*BBC Sport*
Sunday, 7 March 2010
*Aston Villa produced a remarkable second-half comeback as John Carew’s hat-trick eased the pain of their Carling Cup defeat to Manchester United by sealing a swift return to Wembley and an FA Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea.*
Championship strugglers Reading had looked on course for another FA Cup shock as two Shane Long goals carved out a 2-0 half-time lead for the home side, who outplayed their more illustrious rivals in a superb first-half display.
But Villa responded with three goals in 10 minutes early in the second half, Ashley Young starting the fightback before Carew took over in devastating fashion.
The win ended Martin O’Neill’s bizarre statistic of never having won a game in March with Villa since he took over from David O’Leary in 2006.
O’Neill was clearly intent on breaking his mad March duck as he fielded his strongest possible side against the only non-Premier League side still in the competition.
Gabriel Agbonlahor was the only notable absentee as he recovers from a stomach virus and O’Neill must have started to have a similar uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as his side made an uncertain start.
Brian McDermott’s side played with the confidence earned from a cup run that has already been decorated by the Premier League scalps of Liverpool and Burnley, as well as Championship high-fliers West Bromwich Albion.
Jimmy Kebe, in particular, looked lively for the Royals and, against a side boasting one of the finest collections of wing talent in English football, the Mali wide man looked determined to steal the show.
Kebe had the ball in the net early on when he lashed home after Matt Mills’ bundled effort had finally fallen at his feet, but Dein’s whistle had already sounded for a push by Simon Church.
Stilian Petrov lashed long range shot just too high and wide and Kebe turned defender as he headed behind to prevent the waiting Stewart Downing benefitting from a deep Milner centre.
But that was Villa’s best spell in a first half dominated by Reading, who deservedly went ahead on 27 minutes. From a Brian Howard corner, Mills rose highest to flick on for Long to escape into space and nod home from close range.
Carew looked to have swiftly replied when he swept home Milner’s chipped free-kick but the goal was ruled out for offside - although replays suggested he was not.
The momentum was clearly with Reading, and it took a vital block from Dunne to prevent Villa falling further behind when Sigurdsson started and finished a flowing Reading move involving Church and Long.
But the home side did extend their advantage minutes later as Sigurdsson carved open the Villa defence with a perfectly weighted pass and Kebe sprinted clear before cutting the ball back for Long to slide home.
O’Neill clearly needed to get to work at half-time and although he resisted any personnel changes, he sent Villa out early for the second half with a clear challenge to improve or forget about a Wembley return.
Reading knew the opening exchanges of the second half were crucial, but no-one could have predicted the devastating turnaround that was about to unfold.
Young completely changed the momentum with a goal only 82 seconds after the restart. Ryan Bertrand’s sliced clearance allowed
Downing to cut the ball back towards Carlos Cuellar, and though he failed to make contact Young reacted quickest to ram home at the far post.
Seven minutes into the second half Villa produced the kind of football most had been expecting from them, Downing’s right-wing cross finding Carew for an easy headed finish past Federici.
And the clinical turnaround was complete five minutes later, Young feeding the overlapping Warnock who pulled the ball back for Carew to escape Ivar Ingimarsson and apply a measured finish.
Villa’s response meant there was a feeling of how many more they would score against a deflated Reading, but the home side responded bravely to the devastating spell.
Ingimarsson had a header nodded off the line by the alert Young and substitute Grzegorz Rasiak saw his header fumbled by Friedel before being hacked clear.
Heskey wasted the chance to put the tie beyond doubt when he was denied by Federici in a one-on-one, but Villa’s comeback was sealed in stoppage time as Carew completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after he had been fouled by Ingimarsson.
*Reading boss Brian McDermott:*
“If you are going to lose a game, that is how you lose it.
“We played really well in the first half and knew if we could keep it tight for 15 minutes in the second half we’d have a chance but that didn’t happen.
“But I am proud of every single one of our players and it is just a shame we couldn’t get through for our fans.”
*Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill:*
“It was a great spell by us just after half-time. The team showed such great character.
“We needed to do something because we had played so meekly in the first half.
“I didn’t need to say much at half-time because we have some fine players and they knew how second best we were in the first half.”