Mumbai, March 1: A clinical second half double from Marco Asensio took Aston Villa into the FA Cup quarterfinals for the first time in a decade after beating plucky Cardiff City 2-0. Cardiff's last win at Villa Park was in 1954 and the visitor never looked like ending that long drought. The home side was on top from the start and Cardiff goalkeeper Ethan Horvath was one of the busiest men on the park. However, the Welsh club defended stoutly and it took Villa until the middle of the second half to finally get the goal its superiority deserved. PL 2024-25: Liverpool Increases Lead Atop Premier League as Arsenal Drops More Points.

Asensio, the Spanish striker who signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, scored twice in Villa's 2-1 win over Chelsea last week and he continued to justify the faith of coach Unai Emery in only his third start for the club.

The big striker took a cut back from the left from Marcus Rashford and slotted home with his left foot. Twelve minutes later, he did the same but this time from the right, steadying himself to take an Ollie Watkins pass and side-foot home.

“It was not an easy game,” Asensio told ITV. “We knew it was a difficult game. (I'm) very happy for the goals, for the win. We're in the next round, that's the most important.” Premier League 2024–25: Chelsea Routs Southampton 4–0 on Frustrating Night for Cole Palmer.

The other fifth-round ties will be played on Saturday and Sunday, followed by the draw for the quarterfinals.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)