Asensio brace fires Villa into FA Cup quarters
Marco Asensio scored twice to help Aston Villa cruise into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after beating EFL Championship side Cardiff City 2-0 at Villa Park.
The hosts always looked in control but found visiting goalkeeper Ethan Horvath in fine form as he made a staggering seven saves to keep the Bluebirds in the contest.
Villa struggled to break down Cardiff's stern defensive rearguard, with Asensio prodding a strike narrowly wide in the 17th minute.
Leon Bailey was the next player to test Horvath, stinging the palms of the American goalkeeper before Marcus Rashford spurned a glorious chance from inside the box soon after.
Unai Emery's side continued to probe after the break, with John McGinn and Rashford seeing strikes repelled once more by Horvath, but Cardiff's resistance was eventually broken.
After combining for both goals in Villa's 2-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League, Rashford and Asensio linked up again to score the opener, with the Spaniard sweeping home the on-loan Manchester United forward's precise cross from inside the area.
Asensio then doubled his tally and Villa's lead 10 minutes from time, setting himself after being picked out Bailey before curling the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.
It marked the midfielder's fourth goal since arriving on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in January, with Club Brugge up next for Villa in the UEFA Champions League next week.
