But for a brief spell that yielded the opening goal for Philippe Coutinho, the 25 points and 10 plac

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Sorry, your browser is unable to play this video. Please install Adobe Flash and try again. Alternatively upgrade to a modern browser. The Aston Villa manager, Tim Sherwood, says his team were undeterred by their underdog status in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool and played magnificently, thanks to the support of the fans and his players hard work
The restorative powers of Tim Sherwood know no bounds. newcastle united A first FA Cup final in 15 years awaits Aston Villa after a team invigorated by the arrival of its new manager two months ago incinerated the script of Steven Gerrard s dream farewell to Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers was left rummaging for answers amid the ashes.
Villa may have edged away from danger in the Premier League since Sherwood breezed into Villa Park in February but they were relegated to a sideshow in the build-up to this FA Cup semi-final by the focus on Gerrard s so-called date with destiny on 30 May. A Wembley showpiece on the occasion of the Liverpool captain s 35th birthday, bidding adieu to a glittering career newcastle united with another piece of silverware; it seemed pre-ordained.
Instead, Liverpool froze, Rodgers was tactically outwitted by the Villa manager and Fabian Delph plus Jack Grealish were the outstanding midfielders on display. Sherwood s side drove into the final against Arsenal with a confident, energetic and stylish performance, a perfectly executed gameplan and the club s first FA Cup win over Liverpool since the semi-final of 1897. Ron Vlaar shone amid a disrupted defence and Christian newcastle united Benteke continued his prolific form with a ninth goal in his last seven outings. Delph s winner early in the second half was deserved on an individual and collective basis.
By contrast, Liverpool were subdued and anonymous until stirring late on when Gerrard had a header cleared off the line by Kieran Richardson and substitute Mario Balotelli had a goal disallowed for an incorrect offside decision. Rodgers was submerged in a tactical mess of his own making, ripping up his starting formation after only 25 minutes, changing his forward line at half-time and ending the game with almost every outfield Liverpool player in a different position to where they started. newcastle united
It was clarity versus confusion, and clarity inevitably won. Rodgers newcastle united is now the first Liverpool manager since Phil Taylor in the 1950s not to win a trophy in his first three seasons at Anfield and the scrutiny will be intense if, as appears likely, Champions League qualification remains out of reach this season.
But for a brief spell that yielded the opening goal for Philippe Coutinho, the 25 points and 10 places that separated the semi-finalists in the Premier League appeared newcastle united an illusion. Villa s front three pressed to the same telling effect as Manchester United newcastle united and Arsenal newcastle united had done in recent league wins over Liverpool. We knew we d cause Liverpool problems if we played with two No10s, said Sherwood, who also tellingly newcastle united admitted he wasn t bothered about what Rodgers team intended to do as an attacking threat. In the event, it was minimal, with Balotelli posing more problems in a 45-minute newcastle united substitute s appearance than anyone else in yellow.
Sherwood suffered disruption before and during the tie with Gabriel Agbonlahor failing to recover from a hamstring injury sustained the previous weekend at Tottenham Hotspur. The liberating effect of that 1-0 win at White Hart Lane resonated at Wembley. In the absence of Agbonlahor, Grealish and Charles N Zogbia newcastle united complemented the power of Benteke with tireless, creative performances in attack. The 19-year-old Grealish in particular relished the occasion, driving at Emre Can throughout and posing a constant threat newcastle united around newcastle united the Liverpool area. No wonder the England Under-21 head coach, Gareth Southgate, is trying to test the youngster s allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.
Simon Mignolet produced the first save of the game from N Zogbia and it required a vital interception from Dejan Lovren to prevent the French midfielder releasing Benteke clean through on goal. All Liverpool had to offer in the opening 25 minutes was an optimistic penalty claim. Delph caught Raheem Sterling s heel as the 20-year-old, initially leading his side s attack in place of the absent and unreliable Daniel Sturridge, raced into the area. Referee Michael Oliver was rightly unmoved.
It took another injury blow for Villa plus a necessary tactical switch from Rodgers to inject menace into Liverpool s performance. Nathan Baker s first start since January in place of the injured Ciaran Clark ended with a recurrence newcastle united of a serious knee injury in the 25th minute. Jores Okore entered the fray as Rodgers abandoned his three-man defence, and the experiment of Gerrard operating newcastle united