Aston Villa stun Liverpool to enter FA Cup final

London: Fabian Delph destroyed Steven Gerrard’s hopes of a fairytale Liverpool send-off by scoring the winner as Aston Villa reached the FA Cup final with a 2-1 victory on Sunday. Liverpool captain Gerrard, who turns 35 on the day of the final, had hoped to bring down the curtain on his Anfield career with a third FA Cup winner’s medal, but instead it is Tim Sherwood’s Villa who will tackle holders Arsenal on May 30.

 

Philippe Coutinho gave Liverpool the lead with a deflected finish in the 30th minute, but in-form Villa striker Christian Benteke equalised six minutes later before Delph snaffled a 54th-minute winner. It is 15 years since Villa last reached an FA Cup final and 58 years since they achieved the last of their seven successes in the tournament, but victory was just reward for a side who have been transformed since Sherwood succeeded Paul Lambert as manager on Valentine’s Day.

 

On Saturday, Arsenal rode their luck to return to the final with a 2-1 win over Reading. Arsene Wenger’s club will contest a record 19th FA Cup final thanks to a howler from Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici, who allowed Alexis Sanchez’s tame extra-time shot to squirm into the net to settle a tense semi-final at Wembley. Federici’s costly mistake allowed Arsenal to escape with a win they barely deserved from a performance that got progressively more disjointed after Garath McCleary’s second half strike cancelled out Sanchez’s 39th minute opener.

  

Liverpool, without a trophy since Brendan Rodgers became manager in 2012, could have few complaints about the outcome.And with seven points now separating them from the Champions League places in the Premier League, Gerrard’s farewell before he joins the Los Angeles Galaxy would appear to be the last significant occasion on their calendar this season.Mid-way through the first half, both sides made changes that were to lead to the opening goal of the match.