By admin 
Aston Villa booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in a decade with a 3-0 win over Preston at Deepdale.
Marcus Rashford struck twice before Jacob Ramsey added a third to round off a comfortable afternoon for Unai Emery’s side.
The first half was a tight affair, with Villa dominating possession but struggling to carve out clear-cut chances. Preston, unbeaten in their last 15 home matches in all competitions, pressed well to disrupt the visitors’ attacking rhythm.
The best chance of the opening period fell to Preston, as Mads Frokjaer-Jensen headed the ball back across goal to Stefan Thordarson, who failed to direct his header on target.
Villa’s biggest threat came through Lucas Digne, whose deliveries from the left caused problems, though Rashford and company were unable to capitalise.
The game opened up after the restart, and Villa quickly took control. The breakthrough arrived in the 58th minute when Digne found space on the left and delivered a pinpoint cross to Rashford, who slotted home for his first goal since joining the club on loan.
Just minutes later, Villa were awarded a penalty after Morgan Rogers was caught inside the box by Andrew Hughes. Rashford stepped up and dispatched his spot-kick, sending Preston goalkeeper Dai Cornell the wrong way to double Villa’s advantage.
See you there, Villans 🫡 pic.twitter.com/JMFUdv6Msg
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 30, 2025
With a comfortable lead, Villa maintained their dominance and added further gloss to the scoreline in the 71st minute. Ramsey, who had been a lively presence throughout the match, collected a throw-in, drove into the box, and finished to put the game beyond doubt.
Preston had little left to offer in response, and Villa continued to push for a fourth goal, with substitute Ollie Watkins missing two golden opportunities in quick succession. The final minutes saw a flurry of substitutions, but the outcome was already decided as Villa saw out the match comfortably.
Statistically, the gulf in class was evident. Villa registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 3.54 compared to Preston’s 0.47. Rashford’s return to scoring form was a major positive for Villa, while Digne’s creativity on the left proved instrumental in breaking down Preston’s defence.
The result sends Villa into their first FA Cup semi-final since 2015, where they famously defeated Liverpool before losing to Arsenal in the final. Meanwhile, Preston will turn their attention back to Championship action as they face Derby County in midweek