Aston Villa secured their first FA Cup victory since 2016 with a late winning goal from Matty Cash against Middlesbrough.
Boro, a Championship club, came close to forcing a replay as Matty Cash’s shot from outside the box deflected heavily, eluding goalkeeper Tom Glover.
Prior to this crucial moment, Australian goalkeeper Glover had been a formidable obstacle for the Premier League visitors at the lively Riverside Stadium. He made a series of saves, denying young Colombian forward Jhon Duran on two occasions and also stopping shots from captain John McGinn.
Villa’s challenges intensified as Ezri Konsa’s header narrowly missed its mark, bouncing off a post, but the resilient Poland full-back, Cash, clinched his fourth goal of the season across three different competitions.
This pivotal moment secured a historic victory for Villa, a team with a rich FA Cup history, having claimed the trophy seven times, with their last triumph dating back to 1957. It marked their first FA Cup win since the 2016 third-round replay against League Two Wycombe, breaking a streak of eight consecutive defeats, including unexpected losses to League One Peterborough in 2018 and League Two Stevenage in 2023.
“We were speaking before the match about the FA Cup, a very historic cup competition, maybe the best cup competition in the world,” said Villa boss Unai Emery.
“We’re speaking about our players, how much they were successful in this competition – not a lot! Only Emiliano [Martinez] and Calum Chambers won with Arsenal.
“A long time Aston Villa was successful in this competition with seven titles. Of course we are here trying to do another step ahead in this club.”
Middlesbrough has already experienced a notable cup journey this season, reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, where they are set to face Chelsea in two legs on Tuesday and 23 January.
However, their offensive efforts were limited to just one shot on target when Martinez denied Morgan Rogers before half-time.
Despite being second in the Premier League, Villa believed they should have been awarded a penalty in the second half when Isaiah Jones made contact with Alex Moreno. Nevertheless, as there was no video assistant referee (VAR) in operation outside Premier League grounds, play continued.
With the prospect of a replay at Villa Park on the horizon, Cash found the back of the net after an assist from substitute Douglas Luiz.
Relief as Villa get the job done
Emery and his players expressed understandable relief as referee Robert Jones signaled the end of the match, prompting celebrations among Villa’s traveling supporters.
The fans had patiently awaited a victory in the competition, and now they can eagerly anticipate Monday’s fourth-round draw.
Despite Ollie Watkins initially starting on the substitutes’ bench, the Villa manager fielded a formidable lineup. The match remained evenly poised until the introduction of the England forward with 20 minutes remaining.
Substitute Nicolo Zaniolo made a close attempt with a curling shot from distance, just before Cash added to his goal tally for the season in the Premier League (2) and Europa Conference League.