Aston Villa have secured a place in the FA Cup semi-finals after a dominant 3-0 victory over Preston North End.
Marcus Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, scored twice to help Villa ease past their Championship opponents at Deepdale. Jacob Ramsey added a stunning third, sealing Villa’s first semi-final appearance since 2015.
Unai Emery’s men now face a tough test against Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium.
Palace, who thrashed Fulham 3-0 in their quarter-final clash, are in red-hot form, having won five consecutive matches across all competitions. The Eagles have also recorded six straight away victories for the first time in their history.
Villa will be wary of their upcoming opponents, having suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Palace in the Premier League last month.
Ismaila Sarr, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and Eddie Nketiah were on target in that game, showing the attacking threat that Palace will bring to Wembley.
In the other semi-final, Nottingham Forest will face either Bournemouth or Manchester City, who meet in the last quarter-final tie.
Forest progressed after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Brighton, marking their third straight FA Cup victory on penalties. They have now reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1991.
City, the competition’s seven-time winners, will look to avoid an upset against Bournemouth to book their Wembley spot.
The semi-finals will take place on April 26 and 27, with the final scheduled for May 17.
