FA Cup Final 2017: Return to Wembley
Aston Villa are back again at Wembley Stadium in a bid to win the FA Cup again, a feat they accomplished in 2014 where they beat Preston. This time, their opponents are fairly different in the form of Manchester United. If Villa win this, it'll win them an official double, and one step closer to a treble of the Capital One Cup, the FA Cup and the Europa League, but United and
Jose Mourinho won't be moving over easily. How exactly did Aston Villa and
David Beckham make their return to Wembley though? Let's find out.
Third Round
Aston Villa met up with Doncaster in their first round of the FA Cup, and the League 1 side courageously fought off their Premier League opponents and battled to a 0-0 draw.
Unfortunately, they were not so very lucky in the replay, with Aston Villa hitting back with three goals from
Adam Campbell,
Jim Lawless and then
Carlos Fierro who came off the bench, propelling Villa into the next round.
Fourth Round
Villa met up with Championship side Wigan, as well as old boy
Gary Gardner, in the Fourth Round. Wigan put up a brilliant fight and was the better team throughout the game, although the match eventually ended at a 1-1 stalemate.
Having somewhat 'regained their senses' for the replay, the Villans completely restricted Wigan and were unlucky to only win it 2-0.
Mattheus and
Gokmen Hacieyupoglu scored the all important goals for their side, while
Nilson made his debut for Villa in the FA Cup. They were also helped by
James Perch's dangerous challenge in the early minutes of the game, which earned him a quick red card.
Fifth Round
Another Championship side awaited in the Fifth Round. Huddersfield were really up for the game against their Premier League counterparts and gave them a challenging match, but at the end of the day, goals from Carlos Fierro and Hacieyupoglu saw Villa through, but barely, in a thrilling 2-1 win.
Sixth Round
The competition took a tougher turn as Villa met up with in-form Liverpool in the Sixth Round. Surprisingly, it was just not a good day for the Reds as they played poorly, giving Villa the opportunity to advance to the Semi-Finals with a solitary goal from Mattheus.
Semi Final
Title contenders Arsenal were looking to advance into the Final, and Aston Villa were all that stood in their way. What the Gunners did not expect, was a fierce battle from Villa as they fought valiantly to a 1-0 win, courtesy of Fierro.
Final
Tomorrow, the last game of the competition - Aston Villa versus Manchester United. Both have not been up to standard in the league this season, but who will triumph among them? Obviously, pundits and fans will point to the choice of the United giants, but on their day, Villa can always pull off an upset, as seen from their wins over Liverpool and Arsenal....