Jack Grealish was superb. Fabian Delph inspirational. Ron Vlaar a leader at the back, Christian Benteke a pillar of strength up front. Aston Villa were outstanding and a hellish season has become one to remember since the arrival of Tim Sherwood. Their reward? Their first FA Cup final since 2000. But can they win the competition for the first time since 1957. Well, Arsenal will have something to say about. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.
Updated
Liverpool, to be brutally honest, were deeply disappointing. This will be a difficult one for Brendan Rodgers to explain. They were the favourites and despite taking the lead through Philippe Coutinho’s goal in the first half, they rarely looked comfortable and they got what their performance deserved. The worrying thing was the glaring lack of belief after they went behind; they only really got going in the final 10 minutes.
Tim Sherwood charges down the touchline, pumping his fists, a picture of pure ecstasy. He slaps hands with BT’s David James. There’s an embrace with Steve McManaman. Even Robbie Savage gets in on the act! Good old Tim. He’s pleased with himself and rightly so; Villa were magnificent.
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Liverpool
It’s all over! Aston Villa are in the FA Cup final! Liverpool are out! Steven Gerrard’s birthday is ruined!
90 min+3: The whistles are deafening now. Sterling crosses. Vlaar heads away. Liverpool keep pushing. Eventually the ball runs to Dejan Lovren, 40 yards from goal. What does he do? He shoots? Where does the ball land? Somewhere in the vicinity of the North Circular. What a numpty.
90 min+2: Henderson dabs a cross into the area and Balotelli rises highest, straining those neck muscles, only to send his header over the bar!
90 min+1: News that is greeted by groans in the Villa end. Villa are pinned back now. Can they hold on? It’s all Liverpool now. And here’s a chance! Balotelli heads down to Sterling, who ... fires well over!
90 min: The Villa fans are bouncing up and down. They’re a few minutes away from their first FA Cup final since 2000. But is there another twist in store? Liverpool bring on Rickie Lambert for Albeto Moreno. There will be four minutes of added time.
89 min: Another long ball, this time towards Can, another flag for offside. This one was right.
88 min: Mario Balotelli puts the ball into the Villa net, but the flag was long up for offside. The replay shows he was a yard or two onside. Uh oh. To be fair, Villa had heard the whistle by the time Balotelli shot.
86 min: A nervy moment in the Villa defence. Henderson hoicks a nothing ball into the area. It should be dealt with comfortably but Jores Okore isn’t sure of his bearings and a lack of communication between him and Given could have ended in disaster. Instead Okore’s header goes behind for a corner on the right. Another chance for Liverpool. Gerrard whips it in and it’s met by the head of Coutinho. The ball loops towards the far corner but Richardson is in the right place at the right time to head the ball off the line! The ball drops to Skrtel but he skews the rebound over from a tight angle!
84 min: Liverpool pump it long and Balotelli uses his strength to buy a corner on the right. Gerrard flings it in and Lovren powers a diving header a few yards over the bar.
83 min: Jack Grealish is given a wonderful reception by the Villa fans as he leaves the fray. Joe Cole comes on in his place.
82 min: Aston Villa are going to introduce the, er, fresh legs of Joe Cole in a minute.
81 min: Grealish, the game’s best player, looks for Benteke on the left. Benteke is just forced a tad wide, stopping him from shooting, and he cuts it back to Cleverley, who wallops one over from 20 yards.
80 min: Gerrard’s free-kick brushes the wall on its way through, but the ball flies straight at Given. The Villa fans respond with an almighty cheer.
79 min: Balotelli and Coutinho exchange passes on the edge of the Villa area and Delph clips the Brazilian’s heels. He’s booked. He’s furious. This is Steven Gerrard territory.
78 min: Glen Johnson replaces Joe Allen.
77 min: Balotelli is caught offside. He’s not done much.
76 min: Glen Johnson is getting ready to come on for Liverpool.
75 min: Villa make their second change, Scott Sinclair replacing Charles N’Zogbia. Meanwhile Ashley Westwood is receiving some treatment.
73 min: Gerrard’s corner is headed away, but Liverpool continue to press. Gerrard crosses again. It’s cleared, but only as far as Allen, whose low shot is charged down. And from there, Villa break! It’s three-on-two and Grealish springs Benteke clear through the middle. The pass isn’t quite right, however, and Benteke is denied by Moreno just as he was preparing to shoot! If Liverpool win this match, they’ll look back at this moment as the turning point.
72 min: Emre Can tries to inject some energy into Liverpool’s play, his determination winning them a corner on the right.
71 min: Villa counter and Grealish looks for N’Zogbia, who appears to be knocked over off-the-ball by Skrtel. Play continues.
70 min: We enter the final 20 minutes. Have Liverpool got anything left in the locker? There’s been very little fury or intensity about the way they have responded to going behind.
68 min: Sterling is interested in a long ball over the top, but the impeccable Ron Vlaar charges across to snuff out the threat, even winning a goal-kick.
67 min: Gerrard’s free-kick is a waste, plopped straight into the arms of Shay Given.
66 min: Balotelli shows up for the first time. He bursts past Okore on the left and the Villa defender concedes a free-kick by pulling him back.
65 min: Without wishing to hype him too soon, it’s clear that Grealish possesses a bit of class. He looks like an intelligent player. He always seems to have time.
64 min: Villa are playing very well at the moment, but you fancy that they may need to make the most of their dominance and score a third during this period.
63 min: Liverpool’s record in do-or-die games under Brendan Rodgers is not great. Something to take into consideration.
62 min: Villa are threatening to run away with this at the moment. Liverpool are all over the place. Grealish plays a sharp one-two with Benteke and almost breaks through, only to be denied by a magnificent saving challenge from Lovren. The ball breaks to Richardson, but it’s on his right foot and he blazes high and wide from 15 yards.
60 min: Moreno loses the ball and his frustration gets the better of him as he clatters into Grealish. Michael Oliver gives him his final warning.
59 min: There’s panic in the Liverpool defence. Two of them go for the same ball, both of them miss it, the cross falls to Benteke on the left of the area. However he’s forced wide and away from goal by Mignolet and the danger passes.
58 min: There are some glum faces in the Liverpool end. Does anyone have a time machine? This situation calls for Steven Gerrard 1.0.
56 min: “20 million pounds for Lovren,” fumes Richard McGahey. “Nice decision.”
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Liverpool (Delph, 54 min)
Aston Villa were behind. But now look! This is a cracking goal and they could be heading for the FA Cup final! Fabian Delph started the move with a raking pass to release Benteke on the left. He hared after it and played a cute backheel to Grealish, who had space outside the Liverpool area. The youngster kept his composure and slid a fine pass through to Delph, who danced past a feeble challenge from Lovren, before crashing the ball past Mignolet from six yards to give Villa the lead! A deserved lead!
Updated
53 min: Ron Vlaar strides out of defence and sprays a lovely pass out to Bacuna on the right. He clips it back to Benteke, whose volley from 18 yards takes a deflection and prangs straight at Mignolet.
50 min: Gerrard shoots from 30 yards, but it’s not 2006.
49 min: I can still see people in blazers ambling back to their seats. No rush, lads.
47 min: The very impressive Grealish glides through the middle and finds N’Zogbia. He cuts on to his left foot and shoots from 25 yards. It’s an awful effort, though.
46 min: Villa begin the second half with a textbook kick-off. The wonderful people in the corporate seats haven’t quite made it back from the buffet yet. And they’re missing a good start from Villa, N’Zogbia playing Richardson in on the left. However his poor cross is easily cut out by Can.
Enter Mario. Balotelli is on, Lazar Markovic is off.
Half-time: Aston Villa 1-1 Liverpool
That was pretty good. More, please!
45 min+1: Moreno darts down the left and crosses. Throw-in to Villa.
45 min: There will be two minutes of the added stuff.
43 min: A lull. A welcome lull.
41 min: Gerrard’s outswinger is met by Lovren, but his tame header drops harmlessly wide. It was a free header for Lovren, who should have done more with it.
40 min: Coutinho tries to repeat his Southampton/Bolton/City heroics and shape one into the far corner from 20 yards, but a deflection takes it wide.
39 min: Benteke is starting to monster Liverpool’s defence. Be worried, Brendan.
38 min: The Villa are informing their Liverpool adversaries that they aren’t singing any more.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Liverpool (Benteke, 36 min)
It’s not quite an instant response, but it will do! And what a fine goal this is from Christian Benteke! Fabian Delph started it with a power surge down the left flank. He knocked it to Grealish, who returned the favour, and Delph’s cutback from the left found Benteke, who had cleverly hung back towards the edge of the area. He let the ball roll across his body and then clipped it brilliantly pass Mignolet with the inside of his right foot, a high-class finish from a player who is brimming with confidence. This game has come alive!
Updated
35 min: Villa look for an instant response, mustering some pressure outside the Liverpool area, but they never looked like finding a telling final pass. Eventually the move breaks down.
33 min: Another angle shows that Coutinho’s shot actually took a massive deflection off Okore’s shin. That might be an own-goal, because it’s not clear whether the initial shot was going wide.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Liverpool (Coutinho, 30 min)
If Liverpool need a goal in the FA Cup, they know which man to turn to. Philippe Coutinho has done it again, although Villa will be kicking themselves! Jordan Henderson broke into their area from the left and drove the ball into the middle. Okore cut it out, but his clearance was poor and Villa were still in trouble. Delph also failed to make a difference by conceding possession in a dangerous area, the ball was moved to Sterling, and his clever pass to the left released Coutinho, who took the ball in his stride, opening up his body and curling a shot around Shay Given with his right foot, the ball perhaps taking a nick off Okore on its way into the left corner!
Updated
29 min: Markovic hangs a cross to the far post. There’s no real danger for Villa, but Bacuna mistimes his header and concedes a corner. He was a bit lucky actually. If he’d misjudged it any more, the ball would have dropped to Coutinho.
28 min: There’s very little in this. Villa are arguably shading it. “The sight of Allen marking Benteke does not fill me with confidence regarding Brendan’s plan for this match ‘going forward’,” says Ian Copestake.
Updated
26 min: With Villa momentarily down to 10 men, Liverpool attack. Sterling sneaks into the area and tries to glance a header past Given, but he gets it badly wrong, the ball looping up into the air and into the waiting hands of the Villa goalkeeper. That out of the way, Villa can press on with making the change, Jores Okore on for Nathan Baker.
Updated
25 min: Tim Sherwood is shaking his head. Nathan Baker is going to have to come off and Jores Okore is getting ready to come on. Villa don’t have many centre-backs left. If any Villa fans have brought their boots to Wembley, you might want to let Sherwood know.
24 min: This is a worrying sight for Villa. Nathan Baker is down and the physio is on. He might have hurt his left knee.
23 min: A free-kick to Villa, just inside the Liverpool half. It’s played to N’Zogbia on the right. He runs at Moreno and then slips a pass down the line to Cleverley, whose cross is deflected over for a Villa corner. N’Zogbia takes it, curling it into the six-yard box, and Allen heads clear.
22 min: Villa are playing some good stuff. Grealish darts around a couple of challenges on the left and finds Cleverley on the edge of the area, but he’s crowded out.
Updated
20 min: Gerrard clips a pass straight out of play. Not his most auspicious moment, but at least he’s faring better than he did in his last appearance. It’s progress of sorts.
18 min: There are a lot of empty seats around the two dugouts.
16 min: What an escape for Liverpool! The ball is hoofed clear from the back and when Skrtel fails to with it, suddenly Villa have a two-on-one situation. Benteke is in the clear, but Liverpool breathe a huge sigh of relief when Lovren dangles out a leg to cut out N’Zogbia’s pass. That was a waste. It wasn’t a particularly difficult ball for N’Zogbia and Benteke would have been through. Still, Villa are landing a few blows on Liverpool here, Brendan Rodgers’s side not looking that comfortable at the back.
14 min: Villa are starting to pass the ball with plenty of confidence. They’re not overawed. This could be a good match.
12 min: Villa are here to play! Benteke combines with Delph, who threads a pass to N’Zogbia. He shifts the ball quickly and lets fly from 25 yards with his left foot, Mignolet forced to respond by tipping his fearsome effort over the bar. The corner comes to nothing, but Villa are growing in stature.
11 min: Benteke pulls on to Can and wins another header. It doesn’t fall to a Villa player this time, but they’re looking to hit him early. It’s a clear tactic. They have identified the aerial route as the best way of hurting Liverpool.
9 min: Villa impose themselves for the first time. Benteke chests a high ball down for Grealish, who runs at the Liverpool defence, wriggling into the area and winning a corner on the left. That’s some encouraging play from the youngster. He trots across to take the corner. He plays it short to N’Zogbia, who knocks it back to him. Grealish then drops a shoulder to beat a Liverpool defender, before finding N’Zogbia again. His cross is just too high for Benteke at the far post. Tim Sherwood winces.
8 min: Henderson has a dig from 25 yards. The ball dribbles well wide.
Updated
7 min: But now Coutinho pops up on the left, drifting into space and finding possession a little too easily for Villa’s liking. He pushes Bacuna back into the area and then finds Allen, who slashes over from 18 yards.
6 min: Not much has happened yet. Liverpool are dominating possession, with Villa seemingly happy to sit back and let them have the ball in unthreatening areas.
5 min: Markovic speeds past Richardson on the right, winning a free-kick when the Villa left-back pulls him back. Gerrard swings it in, but Vlaar heads the cross away.
Updated
4 min: “Where is Lucas? worries Harry Seekings. “Is he injured? Seems harsh of Liverpool to put him up for a media interview (is that how it works these days?) where he talks of his excitement to be playing at Wembley - only to drop him. I fear for Liverpool without him...”
Lucas is out with a thigh injury.
2 min: Of course, Villa and Liverpool had an FA Cup semi-final in 1996. Liverpool won it at Old Trafford. Wasn’t Robbie Fowler good?
And we’re off! Liverpool, all in yellow, get the game underway, kicking from right to left in the first half. Aston Villa are in claret and blue and the atmosphere inside Wembley is buzzing.
Here come the teams! The goon in charge of the Wembley microphone is screaming into it, completely missing the point of a microphone. The acoustics in that stadium are ludicrous, the sound system pumped up to such levels that I swear blood was dripping out of my ears the last time I was there.
Updated
“Afternoon, Jacob,” afternoons Ian Copestake. “I sometimes feel that the real genius behind Brendan’s back three is that it immediately reduces the number of players who will perform incompetently and thus lessens the damage.”
Or there’s a greater concentration of players in the middle, heightening the chance of a grand mistake.
“I realise you’re going to be quite occupied during this match, and will likely miss much of the second half of City v. West Ham,” says Allan Castle. “If you like, I can do an MBM-within-an-MBM. You know, things like: “87 min: GOAL! Collins with a mazy dribble from the centre circle. Just when you felt he’d pushed his luck, he pulls off a fabulous nutmeg of Demichelis, and chips Hart. Never mind about the own goal... that’s his hat-trick!” It’ll be just like that.”
Why must you taunt me so?
Look who it is! Steven Gerrard, for it is he, returns to the Liverpool side, ready to make sure that Steven Gerrard has an FA Cup final to enjoy on his birthday. The script is written. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get torn up after 38 seconds, eh? No one wants to see that happen*. As for Aston Villa, Gabby Agbonlahor has failed a late fitness test after suffering a hamstring injury in last weekend’s win at Tottenham and is replaced by Charles N’Zogbia, Nathan Baker replaces the injured Ciaran Clark and Ashley Westwood is in for the suspended Carlos Sanchez. Villa could miss Sanchez, he’s a good player, and how they would have loved to have the speed of Agbonlahor alongside Christian Benteke, who does like playing against Liverpool. Benteke has six in his last eight matches, so Liverpool’s back three will have to be on their game today, else Gerrard’s not going to have a very happy birthday.
*Ok, a lot of people would like to see that happen.
Aston Villa: Given; Bacuna, Baker, Vlaar, Richardson; Cleverley, Westwood, Delph; N’Zogbia, Benteke, Grealish. Subs: Guzan, Okore, Sinclair, Weimann, Cole, Gil, Lowton.
Liverpool: Mignolet; Can, Skrtel, Lovren; Markovic, Henderson, Allen, Moreno; Gerrard; Coutinho, Sterling. Subs: Jones, Johnson, Toure, Lambert, Manquillo, Borini, Balotelli.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Hello there. Brendan Rodgers at Wembley. Tim Sherwood at Wembley. I’m not sure what more there is to say.
Kick-off: 3pm.
Updated
