Middlesbrough 0-1 Aston Villa – Late Matty Cash goal breaks Boro hearts and secures spot in FA Cup round four

Aston Villa booked their place in the FA Cup fourth round for the first time in eight years after Matty Cash’s deflected late strike saw off Middlesbrough.

The wing-back struck two minutes from time to give the Premier League side their first victory in the competition since beating Wycombe Wanderers in a third-round replay in the 2015/16 season.

Villa controlled large periods of the contest at the Riverside Stadium. Jhon Duran – given a rare outing with Ollie Watkins on the bench – stung Tom Glover’s palms with a couple of first-half attempts, while Leander Dendoncker headed just over.

Unai Emery’s side continued to generate the greater attacking threat after the break. Glover did brilliantly to tip John McGinn’s curling effort over the bar and Ezri Konsa headed against the post.

The visitors finally broke through and booked their place in round four with two minutes remaining as Cash’s 25-yard strike took a huge deflection off Emmanuel Latte Lath, before nestling in the goalkeeper’s bottom-right corner.

Having sealed their place in the fourth round for the first time in almost a decade, Villa will look to build on their momentum when they return to Premier League action away at Everton next Sunday.

Meanwhile, despite a fourth defeat in five home games, Middlesbrough must quickly rally themselves for another huge cup tie later in the week, with Chelsea visiting the Riverside for the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Tuesday.

Despite their positive domestic form, Villa will not have been overly confident given their recent FA Cup record.

Indeed, they had lost each of their last eight matches in the competition stretching back to 2016.

No side playing in the top two divisions had ever lost nine successive FA Cup games, while the last top-flight side to lose in round three in five straight seasons were Blackpool back in the 1960s.

However, Cash ensured Villa avoided donning those tags. Although there was a huge element of fortune with his goal, the Premier League side deserved the victory on the balance of play.

The Middlesbrough goalkeeper produced a series of smart stops to keep Villa at bay, including a wonderful diving save to tip over McGinn’s dipping effort early in the second half.

Although, he was powerless as Cash’s deflected late strike spun away from him before creeping just beyond his reach and into the bottom corner.

Middlesbrough: Glover 8*, Engel 6, Clarke 7, Van den Berg 6, Bangura 5, Hackney 6, Barlaser 6, I. Jones 5, Rogers 7, Greenwood 6, Coburn 4. Subs: Fry 5, Coulson 5, Howson 5, Latte Lath 6, Gilbert 5.

Aston Villa: Martinez 7, Cash 8, Konsa 7, Lenglet 7, Moreno 7, Bailey 6, Dendoncker 6, Kamara 6, Ramsey 7, McGinn 6, Duran 6. Subs: Zaniolo 6, Douglas Luiz 6, Diaby 6, Watkins 5.

8’ – Good strike: Villa counter following Martinez’s intervention and the ball is played out to Duran. The forward unleashes a fierce strike from a tight angle, but Glover pushes it away.

33’ – Just over: A Villa corner culminates in Dendoncker meeting a cross at the near post. There is plenty of pace in his header, but it is just too high.

49’ – Great save: Villa play a corner short and work the ball to an unmarked McGinn on the edge of the box. The skipper’s first-time effort is dipping, but Glover gets across well to tip it over.

53’ – Off the post: Konsa escapes his marker to get his head on the end of Bailey’s corner. It is a brilliant glancing header by the defender, but the ball crashes against the right post with Glover beaten.

88’ – GOAL! MIDDLESBROUGH 0-1 ASTON VILLA (CASH): Douglas Luiz and Diaby link up from a short corner before laying the ball off for Cash. The wing-back’s long-range attempt takes a wicked deflection off Latte Lath, before spinning into the bottom corner and beyond the reach of Glover.