That’s all,Vokes
SAM ENDS VILLA CUP HOPES WITH SHOCK STOKE WINNER
SAM VOKES clinched a quarter-final spot for Stoke with a superb glancing header.
Villa, finalists last season and f ive- time winners of the competition, found reputation counted for little as Michael O’Neill’s Championship side booked their place in the last eight.
O’Neill was full of praise for the performance, saying: “I thought we deserved the goal when it came for the way we went about things.
“We managed to keep them out when they put us under pressure, so, overall, I’m very pleased and I’m delighted to go through.
“We handled it really well when we had to because we had to defend pretty well against a good side.”
Villa boss Dean Smith said: “We were awful first half. I think we just weren’t good enough.”
Villa stuck with their cup side – a complete swap from the 11 starters in the 3- 0 win at Fulham on Monday night – while Stoke made eight changes.
When Vokes gave Stoke the lead midway through the first half, it was no more than they deserved.
Nick Powell had threatened on a couple of occasions and he really had every reason to think he would break the deadlock with a 25th-minute, close-range effort.
He pounced at the near post and thought he had scored when he blasted a shot goalwards, only to see keeper Jed Steer somehow manage to divert it over the top.
But, a minute later, Steer was completely beaten when Vokes did superbly to meet Jordan
Thompson’s corner with power and send it into the roof of the net.
It seemed to inject some sense or urgency into Villa, who then carved out a couple of really good opportunities which were completely wasted.
First, Henri Lansbury was presented with a real gift when right-back Frederic Guilbert found him with a pinpoint cross, only to see him head it feebly wide.
Then, shortly before the break, forward Keinan Davis failed to cash in, with the goal at his mercy, when he somehow shot wide from three yards after winger Anwar El Ghazi had found him with a cross to the far post.
Striker Ollie Watkins had a great effort flicked over by keeper Adam Davies, who also denied El Ghazi, but Stoke clung on to win.