Asensio Fires Villa Quarter-Final Bound! | Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff City | Emirates FA Cup 2024-25

Yet to score, since arriving at Villa on loan. He's going to have a crack, and it's a comfortably enough save for Horvath. Willock beaten to it by Garcia, who does really well there, the Spanish full-back. Kicking out Asensio. And suddenly it's opened up, and it's Villa's turn to attack. Asensio unable to find Rashford, Aaron Ramsey now for Cardiff. Asensio atones for the passing error. Bailly will keep it in. And have Louis Giles for company. Here's McGinn. Asensio, what a lovely ball, into Watkins, great chance! And wide of the post. And Turner just fed Rashford in, he's probably not looking to be over-precise, as he's just put it into a nice area. Spots the gap between the two defenders. Once again, the ball doesn't have to be super-precise when you know he's already running away from goal. Tielemans. Good movement again, lovely control from Asensio as he tries to set up Watkins. It's Leon Bailly! Who brings the best out of Horvath with that one. Well, that's a good save. What about this for the first touch from Marco Asensio? Just kills the ball, couple of nice touches, set himself, doesn't find Watkins. And that ball sits up nicely, doesn't it, for Leon Bailly. Great hit and a top save. It's a crackerjack of a shot from Leon Bailly and a very fine save from Ethan Horvath, the American goalkeeper. Here's Bailly, will he take confidence from that effort of a few moments ago? Onto the right foot, it just needed a touch and beyond the far post. Came at Rashford very quickly. Just looking for that little spark to break the cup tie open as Rashford sees another attempted delivery. Charged down. This is Konca. Now Garcia with a chance to deliver into the box. It was a decent one as well. Back in by Rashford. Watkins is there! Point-blank save made by Ethan Horvath. Super stop by the Cardiff keeper. Nice header from Marcus Rashford. Watkins timed his run perfectly, he'll feel he should have scored. But Horvath just stood strong, spread himself. And you need that little bit of luck sometimes as a goalie. Yeah, if anything Watkins probably would have wanted a goalkeeper. Door was quickly closed in his face. All hands on deck here for Cardiff City. Here's Andres Garcia into John McGinn. Trying to find a way through and it was a really good effort from McGinn. Asensio picks up the loose pieces and it's El Ghazi who doesn't really get it away. Garcia now, trying to find an opening, takes a deflection, it's a corner. It seemed as if John McGinn didn't want to shoot. On his left foot the strongest side, brings it back onto the right. Good save. He's played well tonight, hasn't he, Horvath? That's Henning in. Took a deflection as well. Somebody will lose concentration. You hope. The ball collected here by Rashford, wants more, he blasts it in. That's a superb save from Horvath to deny Marcus Rashford. Throws to the ball, Bologna. Just cuts across it slightly, it's swerving away from the goalkeeper. Nicely worked, Rashford. Time to look up, pick the pass, it's Watkins and it's wide. Here comes El Ghazi. The number 20 for Cardiff. And 20 also the number of attempts on goal that Aston Villa have had in the match so far. But they've drawn a blank. And Cardiff City are still right in this tie with 25 minutes to go. By now, underdog or not, they've had a chance. But not so far. Good ball by Guttas, bringing Perry Eng into the play. And Emi Martinez for the first time tonight is testing Yusuf Salahdi. Physical presence through the middle is going to test the Aston Villa defenders. He's under great pressure here, but he gets a touch onto it. And that's real striker's instinct. Encouragement for Cardiff, and Ruben Colwell sends it away to the far side. Bailey's been beat. Villa are backpedalling, but Leon Bailey redeems himself by winning it back. Telemans is upended. Foul by Robertson, the substitute. Ruben Colwell has played well in the middle of the park. Still a lot of balls in that first half. He's had trouble with it well, passed it well. Mattson's motoring. And Mattson's still going here. From one end of the pitch to the other. Telemans. Looking for Rashford and finding it. Headlock broken. It's that combination that saw off Chelsea in the Premier League a week ago. Rashford and an ease of real quality. It's taken a while, but finally the Premier League side are ahead. Marco Asensio. Two goals last week. He's set up by Rashford again. It's a lovely ball, isn't it, from Uri Telemans. The quality of the Premier League players. Rashford just about keeping himself onside. A nice little cutback as well. I'm not sure, really, he's actually looking for Marco Asensio. I think that's actually aimed for Olly Watkins across the face of the ball. Face of the box. A little bit of luck that it falls to him, but he's anticipating, isn't he, Asensio? The sixth time he's started for Villa tonight. Garcia as they look to break through again. Here's Watkins. Great chance for number two. Plenty of blue shirts back on the line. In towards Rashford. Super block. Watkins wants more. At any level, it's tough to deal with. Awesome space here for Garcia. And for Bailey. Villa looking for that second goal. Marco Asensio. Villa 2, Cardiff. And a place in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup beckons for those in claret and blue. Two goals against Chelsea last week in the Premier League. Two goals tonight. Marco Asensio is proving to be a difference maker for Aston Villa. Yeah, there's the fatigue setting in for the Cardiff players. They've got five or six players almost in the line. And about the penalty spot along that line. But none of them get close enough to Asensio quickly enough. And there's the composure, the quality. He sees the gap, knows he doesn't need to strike it with any great amount of power. Side foot. Well, the chance came for him. A little bit of luck for the way he landed out of his feet. He wasn't able to keep it down. Satisfactory all round for Aston Villa. Aston Villa, the first side through to the quarterfinals of this season's FA Cup. Is this finally going to be the year for the seven-time winners?