To progress to the next stage of the FA Cup, Aston Villa must beat Chelsea in their fourth round replay after a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge. Despite VAR ruling out Douglas Luiz’s goal due to a handball, Villa managed to hold on thanks to Emi Martinez’s impressive saves. Matty Cash came closest to scoring for Villa in the second half, but his effort was tipped around the post by Dorde Petrovic. The draw meant that Villa avoided defeat away to a Premier League club in the FA Cup for the first time since 2000-01. Although Villa has struggled to score in recent matches, manager Emery is not worried and believes the draw was a fair result. Martinez was praised for his performance, saving Villa from several one-on-one situations. Emery emphasized the importance of the competition and hopes that Villa can be contenders.
After the game, Mauricio Pochettino, the Chelsea manager and fellow countryman of Martinez, spoke highly of the Aston Villa goalkeeper. “He is a world-class player and a world champion, so beating him is always a challenge,” Pochettino said. “Although it will be difficult, this is an opportunity for us to continue growing and improving, which we will take advantage of.” Pochettino also acknowledged that Villa’s impressive season was a testament to his team’s progress, despite their drop in energy towards the end of the game. “We dominated the beginning of the game, but after 70 minutes, our energy levels began to drop due to playing three days ago. We were better when we had full energy. Now, we must focus on the replay and recover our players for the next game.”
